League One boss makes promotion prediction on Blackpool, Oxford Utd, Lincoln City and Leyton Orient

Stevenage manager Steve Evans says that he fancies his side to go on and win promotion should they pip Blackpool to a play-off spot.

The Boro are currently four points ahead of the Seasiders and also have a game in hand over them. Blackpool can only do what they can and hope for a slip-up after losses against Cheltenham Town and Leyton Orient derailed their play-off push.

Stevenage are the surprise package of the season having only won promotion from League Two last season. Evans has turned them around from a side that were threatened with relegation to the National League to a side that could be playing Championship football next season.

The 61-year-old who won promotion to the second tier with Rotherham United via the play-offs has cast his verdict on the play-off race. He has included Blackpool among three other clubs who are in a five-team race for that final play-off spot.

"We are not really competing with Peterborough for promotion," said Evans to our friends at the Peterborough Telegraph.

"We have our own mini league with Oxford, Blackpool, Leyton Orient and Lincoln and we are top at the moment and confident of staying there.

"What we have achieved already is incredible. If the league was based on budgets we’d be in the bottom three rather than in the top six. At the start of the season no-one would have tipped us to be above any of those teams we are fighting against for a play-off place.

"But if we get in those play-offs I fancy we will win them. We will be the team no-one wants to play. We lost by one goal at Bolton and Barnsley and we were unlucky to lose both games. We still have them both to play at home."

One team that Evans wants to rule out of the race for the play-offs is his former club Peterborough United, who he believes are contenders for the automatic promotion spots. The Posh defeated Burton Albion 3-1 at the weekend and that result saw them overtake Barnsley who suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat at home to Lincoln City.

Darren Ferguson's side are four points off of second-placed Derby County but have a game in hand over the Rams. They finished sixth in the play-offs last season, but lost to Sheffield Wednesday on penalties after blowing a four-goal first-leg win.

Evans added: "I said after we drew 2-2 with them at our place that they would go up automatically and I still believe that now. They have some class players who are also hungry and full of desire.

"As I said I don’t think Peterborough will be in those play-offs and I hope they aren’t because I want them to go up."