Chris Whelpdale's first-half header was enough to earn Stevenage a 1-0 victory at Newport County.
The winger was in the right place at the right time to earn Borough their second successive League Two win.
Newport's slim chances of making a late charge for the play-offs look to be over with the gap now 11 points with six games remaining.
Nervous Newport goalkeeper Joe Day missed four punches clear in the opening half an hour and had Mickey Demetriou to thank for sparing his blushes.
The defender rushed back to his line to deny Danny Newton a tap-in and keep the scores level after Day failed to connect with a looping ball into the area.
But he was finally beaten by a cross after Stevenage skipper Ronnie Henry clipped the ball to the back-post for Whelpdale to nod into the net after 43 minutes.
They almost doubled their lead seconds after the restart when Henry's long-range half volley was acrobatically denied by Day.
Frank Nouble and Josh Sheehan both had penalty appeals waved away, but Newport never threatened to equalise.
English League Two Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | +31 | 84 |
2 | Exeter City | 46 | +24 | 84 |
3 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | +22 | 80 |
4 | Northampton Town | 46 | +22 | 80 |
5 | Port Vale | 46 | +21 | 78 |
6 | Swindon Town | 46 | +23 | 77 |
7 | Mansfield Town | 46 | +15 | 77 |
8 | Sutton United | 46 | +16 | 76 |
9 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | +13 | 75 |
10 | Salford City | 46 | +14 | 70 |
11 | Newport County | 46 | +9 | 69 |
12 | Crawley Town | 46 | -10 | 61 |
13 | Leyton Orient | 46 | +15 | 58 |
14 | Bradford City | 46 | -2 | 58 |
15 | Colchester United | 46 | -12 | 55 |
16 | Walsall | 46 | -13 | 54 |
17 | Hartlepool United | 46 | -20 | 54 |
18 | Rochdale | 46 | -8 | 53 |
19 | Harrogate Town | 46 | -11 | 53 |
20 | Carlisle United | 46 | -23 | 53 |
21 | Stevenage | 46 | -23 | 47 |
22 | Barrow | 46 | -13 | 44 |
23 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | -29 | 38 |
24 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | -61 | 26 |
League Two News
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