Bowyer is all smiles as Henderson seals win

GARY Bowyer paid tribute to “smiling” Salford City as they moved to within three points of the play-off zone.

Brandon Thomas-Asante broke the deadlock early in the second half after an uneventful opening period.

Four minutes later, Luther Wildin levelled with a venomous strike from long range for the in-form visitors, who had been unbeaten in 12 league outings.

Bowyer’s side snatched all three points when Ian Henderson headed home a corner kick, ensuring that Salford preserved their unbeaten record at Moor Lane.

The new Ammies boss said: “The energy levels from the squad have been terrific and it was a real team effort.

“We knew it was always going to be a tough game. It was like a boxing match in the first half.

“We showed great awareness in the first goal by taking a quick throw that caught them out. The two bits of brilliance from us won us it.

“We’ve told them to play with a lot of desire and energy and get smiles on their faces. It’s quite an easy equation in football – if you win games, then people have smiles on their faces. It all helps and we’ve got to try to keep that smile on our face for as long as possible.”

Richie Towell spurned a glorious early opportunity for the Ammies, while Boro’s Elliott List was thwarted from an acute angle by the Vaclav Hladky.

Salford began the second half well and were rewarded when Thomas-Asante tucked in a Towell cross following a quick throw.

James-Wildin levelled when his strike from outside the area arrowed into the top corner beyond a helpless Hladky. Thomas-Asante fired a free-kick against the bar before Henderson nodded in an Ibou Touray corner. Stevenage boss Alex Revell said: “We showed our qualities, but I don’t think we really showed what we have done in recent weeks. The two goals were really poor and you can’t concede like that against a team that has a really good defensive record. We’ve had a really good run, but we want to win more games.

“I’m really disappointed. We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are now and we knew that if we’d have won, we’d have gone above them.”