Lee and Josh make it a lovely fight back
GRAHAM Alexander watched Scunthorpe snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and then revealed how a little bit of love had helped his side seal a first win in six games.
Lee Novak’s bullet header, followed by a Josh Morris penalty two minutes from time, made the difference for the Iron – cancelling out a powerful strike from Posh defender Andrew Hughes much earlier in the second half.
Having had to put an arm around the shoulders of his squad in recent weeks, Alexander was delighted to see Scunthorpe come through a test of character.
“I’m delighted for the players more than anything,” he said.
“We’ve had to give them a bit of confidence and a bit of love. It’s easy to love people when you win, but our job is to love them when we’re not and help get the best out of them. I thought we did that in the last 20 minutes of the game.
“I know how the pressure can build, especially at home, when you’re not winning. It was tough when we went 1-0 down, because we weren’t playing particularly well, but we showed courage and ambition to get back in the game and win 2-1, which was fantastic.”
Neither side had managed to get into the ascendancy during an uninspiring opening 45 minutes, though Posh’s 52nd-minute opener – smashed into the roof of the net by Hughes from a corner – ironically pierced Scunthorpe’s best spell of the game.
The Iron though had more of a threat about them in the second period following the introduction of winger Hakeeb Adelakun and it was from his clever piece of skill and cross in the 79th minute that Novak headed his side level.
Having looked like being the hero earlier in the afternoon, Hughes became the villain two minutes from time when his weak backpass was seized upon by Iron substitute Simon Church. He was felled by keeper Jonathan Bond as he attempted to work a shooting opportunity and Morris made no mistake from the spot.
“We should have been coming away with a win, but two mistakes cost us,” said Peterborough boss Grant McCann, whose side are now winless in five league matches.
“I’ve told the boys that I can make them a good football team, but concentration is key and our levels were lacking. That’s the reason we’re in this form.
“I think we took our foot off the pedal when we scored, to be honest. We didn’t go for the next goal. We sat off.”