Michael Mellon's hat-trick powered Stevenage to a commanding 6-1 victory away at Walsall in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night. The emphatic win provides a significant boost to their hopes in Group South - 2.
Mellon opened the scoring after 11 minutes, finishing from a Kaelan Casey assist. Walsall's Lewis Simper levelled six minutes later, but Stevenage quickly reasserted control. Wanya Marcal restored the lead on 29 minutes, assisted by Jordan Houghton, who then scored himself three minutes later to make it 3-1.
Mellon added his second just before half-time, and completed his treble in the 58th minute with a finish set up by Matthew Smith. Ben Broggio rounded off the scoring five minutes later, with Marcal turning provider. The result was a fair reflection of Stevenage's dominance, as they registered 22 shots to Walsall's seven and enjoyed 59% of possession.
Manager Alex Revell made several changes to his starting lineup, deploying a 4-4-1-1 formation. The performance will be a welcome confidence boost ahead of a return to League One action, where the team currently sits 11th with nine points from seven games. This recent form includes a 2-1 win over Cambridge United and a 1-1 draw with Barnsley.
Stevenage's next fixture is a home league match against second-placed Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, 26 September.
West Ham United confirmed that Kaelan Casey made his Stevenage debut in the 6-1 EFL Trophy win over Walsall. The 21-year-old defender, who played 70 minutes before being substituted, is now targeting his first League One appearance. Stevenage, who are 11th in League One with nine points, face Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, 26 September.
