Burton claimed their first away win in the Conference when a solitary goal proved enough to separate these two lacklustre sides.
Expectations weren't high going into this match with Stevenage having lost their three home league games, while Burton proved ineffective on their travels and after an opening spell where both sides came close to netting it became clear why they had already shown such poor form.
With passes being misplaced and a lack of technique all round, it looked likely that the game would remain goalless as chances proved few and far between.
Stevenage's best chance of the first half came when they actually put the ball into the net on 16 minutes. Charlie MacDonald sidefooted into an empty goal after a ball from Richard Pacquette, but the effort was disallowed for a foul on keeper Matt Duke.
Burton had their chances too with Darren Stride heading just over while Christian Moore should have carved out the opener, when in first-half added time he broke clear on goal and forced a fine diving save from home keeper Mark Westhead.
The game could only improve and it did so for Burton just three minutes after the break when they hit the opener. The goal came following impressive work on the right flank from Craig Dudley, when after knocking the ball past Jamie Campbell, he fired in a pinpoint cross for Moore to head powerfully home.
Stevenage looked unable to find a reply and their best effort came after 67 minutes when Pacquette flicked a header on to the crossbar following a cross from the right from Jason Goodliffe.
Michael Blackwood forced a fine diving save from keeper Duke and as the seconds ticked away Burton coped easily with Stevenage's attacking options and could have added a second when Nigel Clough saw a free-kick come back off the post after 76 minutes.
As an air of desperate filled the ground home keeper Westhead went up for a corner for Stevenage and was almost caught out when Duke gathered the ball and fired his kick goalwards only for Westhead to scramble back to stop an embarrassing strike.
If the mood was down for the home team it became positively funereal in added time when Campbell was sent off for appalling foul on Clough, which summed up the frustration felt by home fans and players alike