Ferguson: Up to the final third we were good, but that’s not where you win a game
PETERBOROUGH United manager Darren Ferguson admits things must change at London Road to avoid an instant return to League One.
Like Hull City, Posh have found life difficult on their return to the Championship with the pair separated by just one point and two places at the wrong end of the table.
Posh have taken eight points from 12 and sit inside the bottom three while City have nine and are a place outside with Barnsley in between.
Last season’s top two in League One meet at the MKM Stadium tonight in what already looks a big game in the context of the campaign, both reeling from 2-0 away defeats on their return from the international break.
While City’s hapless defending from set-pieces was costing them in the Yorkshire derby at Huddersfield Town, Posh were twice conceding late at Middlesbrough, leaving Ferguson far from impressed with an eighth defeat and they are yet to win on the road.
“The game was there for the taking,” he bemoaned.
“We were in control for large parts of it, but the quality wasn’t there in the last third.
“We had many opportunities to pick them off, but the final ball, weight of pass or the decision we made wasn’t good enough.”
Posh failed to muster a single effort on target on Teesside, though there were suggestions that referee John Busby should have given the visitors a penalty, not that Ferguson was using that as an excuse for a tepid away display.
“Whether it was a penalty or not doesn’t matter if you keep wasting chances like we did you will lose the game, like we did,” he said.
“It’s just decision-making on the day of the match. We do all the work on the training ground, but it’s another game we were well in and we’ve lost.
“We can’t keep sitting here saying it, well we can, but if we do, we will be relegated.
“The quality there is just not good enough and then you open yourself up to the decision the referee made. Up to the final third we were good but that’s not where you win the game.
“We were controlling the game without looking threatening and we just had to improve the speed of play, but it was the final third that was missing. If we go ahead, it gives us the confidence to go forward and the game gets even more open. I don’t think we’ve really tested their goalkeeper.
“It’s a penalty, he’s got it wrong, very wrong; it’s a blatant penalty kick.
“It adds to the frustration, but the referee is not going to be taking training on Monday or taking charge of the team on Wednesday.
“He’s made a mistake, but we need to focus on we’re going wrong. We can’t let it affect us going forward and the only thing we can do is affect what we’re doing. At the moment, it’s not good enough. I feel we’ve got the players, but they need to start showing it.”