Steve Evans revealed he never doubted Jordan Roberts’ quality after the midfielder scored twice in Stevenage’s impressive 2-0 League Two victory over Swindon.

Evans, who signed Roberts from Motherwell in the summer, saw Stevenage move top of the table with the win, having taken maximum points at the Lamex Stadium so far this season.

And following his match-winning performance against the Robins, the Boro boss revealed he wanted to retain Roberts’ services after signing him on-loan at former club Gillingham.

“Jordan’s a top player,” he said. “I took him on a loan spell to Gillingham and he was outstanding.

“If I told you the figure (that Gillingham refused to pay), it was embarrassing that we didn’t retain him.

“So we always thought there was a good player. In the last three weeks, he’s been outstanding and he showed it again today.”

The win moved Stevenage two points clear at the summit of the League Two table, albeit having played one game more than nearest challengers Leyton Orient.

And Evans was delighted to get a win over a team he considers one of the strongest in the division.

“I’ve said over a week ago to the group that this was three big games, but the cherry on the cake was waiting for us in Swindon Town,” he added.

“I think they’ve got some real top players, they play a real style of football and they’re backed by huge support. So we knew we had to produce a good performance today to compete with them and we did produce a good performance.

“I think in spells we had them on the ropes a little bit.

“As soon as the second goal went in, the question in my head was ‘would we score three or four rather than concede’, which – considering how good a side they are – is a credit to the dressing room.”

Meanwhile, Evans’ opposite number in the dugout Scott Lindsey was left flat following Swindon’s third defeat of the season.

However, despite a tough afternoon in Hertfordshire, Lindsey did acknowledge that the Robins were beaten by an impressive Stevenage side.

“We didn’t perform first and foremost,” he said. “We fell into their trap a bit. It became end-to-end which suited them more than it suited us.

“We weren’t composed enough on the top end of the pitch. They’re good at what they do, they’re a good side, they’re at the top end of the table for a reason.

“They’re very different from us, but they’re very good at what they do. We’ve got to give them some credit.

“Our line was deep, and I felt our line was deep because we weren’t so composed on the top end of the pitch. We were anxious to shoot, instead of finding openings.”