Ipswich Town were unable to bounce back from their earlier defeat to Cambridge United as they were beaten 2-1 by Stevenage at the Lamex Stadium.
While striker George Hirst was able to bag his second goal in two games, Town were unable to avoid a second loss of the afternoon due to goals from Jamie Reid and Ben Thompson.
While the Blues were able to strike early on at the Abbey Stadium, they fell behind after just four minutes against Stevenage. Reid was allowed too much space to pick up the ball on the edge of the area, allowing him to spin past George Edmundson and fire at Christian Walton, who spilled the ball into the back of the net.
A deflected long-range effort from Jack Taylor looked to spark Ipswich into life, but the tempo of the game evaporated soon after. It took until the 24th minute for the next chance to arise, but Kyle Edwards could only fire over the bar from the edge of the box.
Stevenage came close to doubling their lead three minutes later when Elkan Baggott was shrugged off the ball by former Town forward Jordan Roberts. He surged into the box but couldn't find the back of the net, with Walton reaching low to stop his shot.
One of Ipswich's best chances came on the half-hour mark when Sone Aluko played a sumptuous through ball to Kyle Edwards, who was able to rush through on goal. Krisztian Heygi rushed out to grab the ball, bringing the Town man down, but a corner was awarded instead of a penalty.
Fans will have hoped that the introduction of George Hirst after the half-time break would have improved their side's performance, but they fell further behind after a defensive lapse.
Nathan Broadhead gave the ball away in his own half, allowing Stevenage to break. Edmundson slipped after winning back the ball, allowing Reid to rush through before being brought down by Morsy on the edge of the penalty area.
Angus MacDonald took aim, clipping the post with a free-kick that snuck under the wall before Thompson headed the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Town did find a response in the 68th minute, however, when Broadhead was fouled down the left flank. Sam Morsy floated the free-kick to the far post as Stevenage failed to clear the ball, allowing George Hirst to fire home from close range, scoring his second goal in two games.
The Blues pushed for an equaliser, but it was Stevenage who came closest. Steve Evans' side dominated the dying embers of the game, almost capitalising from a defensive mistake that saw substitute goalkeeper Cieran Slicker caught off his line.
Ultimately, neither side could find a way through, with the hosts seeing out a fairly comfortable win in Hertfordshire.
Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Walton (Slicker 84'); Ball, Edmundson, Baggott (Bradshaw 84'), Leigh; Morsy, Taylor (Foyo 84'); Jackson, Aluko (Valentine 84'), Edwards (Hirst 46'); Broadhead
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