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Westley holds hands up

Image: Graham Westley: Not good enough

Graham Westley admits Stevenage "haven't been good enough" after a 3-1 defeat to Bristol City confirmed their relegation.

Westley, who was Boro manager when the club were promoted to the third tier for the first time in their history in 2011, returned last March for a third spell after a year-long stint at Preston. But the 46-year-old has presided over their return to League Two this term and he conceded the writing has been on the wall. "We are where we are for a reason - we haven't been good enough - and I haven't been able to turn water into wine quickly enough, and that's why we're going down," he said. "I've made no secret that when I walked back in it didn't feel like the same changing room to the one that I left. "There was a lot of losing going on, and that speaks for itself. It was always going to be difficult to turn it around. "If you're trying to turn it around in a league where you don't have the resources to do so, that's another thing. "Everyone knows how difficult it is to be Stevenage in League One. Everyone knows that we have to do an awful amount right to succeed in League One. "What we have to do now is make sure we can go into the summer with something to be proud of." Wade Elliott deservedly gave the visitors the lead before half-time, turning the ball in at the back post from Brendan Moloney's cross. Sam Baldock added a second with his 24th league goal of the season before substitute Stephen Pearson scored with his first touch after 75 minutes. Luke Freeman netted a free-kick for Stevenage late on to the annoyance of City boss Steve Cotterill. "I'm not sure their goal was a free-kick to be honest," said Cotterill. "I'm not convinced of that, and we wanted the clean sheet which is a little bit disappointing. "Going in 1-0 up at half-time was an absolute travesty really. I counted at least eight good chances. "I thought that our concentration was going to be important going into the second half because we had so much of the ball. "The danger is sometimes when it becomes like that, and you have so much of the ball, that you can lose concentration and get done with one ball. "I said to Sam Baldock that I felt we needed a goal from him, not that he wouldn't want one himself, but I wasn't going to take him off until he did score. "And there was a nice little moment for Stephen Pearson as well, he scored a great goal."

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