Stevenage kept their faint hopes of a play-off place alive with this narrow win over a Burton side that showed a clear lack of ideas.
Indeed it proved to be a quiet first half with both sides failing to threaten an opening goal, with the one shot coming from Borough's Simon Wormull who fired just wide of the post with a 25-yard drive on 33 minutes.
A scything tackle from Stevenage skipper Steve Watson, which remarkably evaded a booking, was the only other incident of note in a first half that was also devoid of corners.
The game exploded into life after the break and it took just six minutes for the home side to grab what proved to be the winner.
Man of the match Wormull powered through the midfield and, although his pinpoint pass left Justin Richards with plenty to do, the Stevenage front man blasted home spectacularly past keeper Matt Duke from the edge of the area.
The goal served to fire up the home side and just three minutes later they had twice come close, with Jon Brady firing a free-kick over the bar before seeing a header blocked by Duke.
Stevenage continued to hold the upper hand but proved unable to add a decisive second, as Richards, Brady and Dino Maamria all went close.
Watson missed the chance of the match with 15 minutes to go, when he fired over the bar after a neat piece of interplay had torn the Burton defence apart.
But in the end the miss did not prove to be costly as disappointing Burton failed to test Lionel Perez in the Stevenage goal and deservedly left Broadhall Way empty handed.