Stevenage needed to put their Exeter doldrums firmly behind them and quick - and the performance at Wigan Athletic was just the tonic for manager Alex Revell.

Boro drew 0-0 at the DW Stadium and while there was the obvious disappointment at not picking up three points, the way they performed on the back of the 2-0 loss in Devon on Saturday left the boss proud.

Revell said: "I would never set a team up not to win, but performance and organisation was what we needed because we lacked that at Exeter. 

"You have to learn that if you lose games, you run the risk of losing your shirt. 

"We felt it was time to change and the performance has shown it was the right thing to do. 

"Obviously we want to create more chances, of course we do, but it was about the performance tonight and about showing people how organised we can be. 

"We wanted to get back to keeping clean sheets because if you get those, you stand more chance of winning games."

Wigan enjoyed the majority of the possession in the first half but without testing Murphy Cooper.

And the Boro keeper only had a couple of shots in the second period to deal with as Stevenage stepped up through the gears to make life very difficult for the Latics.

Revell explained tweaks were needed at half-time.

"First half, we didn't get it quite right," he admitted. "When they're on the pitch and they move like that, it's very difficult to get key messages across.

"But at half time we nailed down what we felt were the problems and for me it was clear that as soon as we did that, we felt a win was coming. 

"We didn't want to make substitutions because we could feel it, we could feel them getting frustrated and the crowd getting frustrated. 

"We just didn't have that little end product or enough support to get forward. 

"But you hope that if you’re organised, there’s a chance away from home. Other teams do that, Lincoln did it to us." 

Wigan were a difficult team to contain at times, sometimes playing with five men up front and the two furthest forward being their out and out wingers.

But that's what you've got to do said the Boro boss, who felt the midweek trip showed the quality and strength in depth of the squad.

"They are a difficult team to play but the league is like that," said Revell.

"You have to be organised, when teams move and switch and suddenly you see a player next to you that shouldn't be there [or you weren’t expecting to be there], then it's how you react. 

"This was about working as a team, protecting the goal. 

"Sometimes that can have consequences at the other end of the pitch but I am really proud of that performance. 

"It shows the strength of the group and if the people coming in are putting in the performances, like this, it means we're doing something right with how we treat people. 

"That to me is what I’m all about as a manager. You have to treat people with respect so when they get their chance, they come in and want to perform for you and the team. 

"We saw that with all of them that came in here."