JUNIOR’S BACK WITH A BANG
GRANT McCann admitted sentiment played a part in handing Junior Morias his first league start in four months after the striker returned from a serious thigh injury to net against Oldham.
The pain of injury against the same opponents last September changed to elation for Morias, who opened the scoring for play-off hunting Posh.
Midweek signing from Crewe George Cooper and 24goal striker Jack Marriott then sealed the win, with relegatio threatened Oldham ending the match with ten men after firsthalf substitute George Edmundson received a second yellow card.
Posh boss McCann said the fact the game was against the Latics encouraged him to start Morias.
He explained: “I saw the hurt when he went down at Oldham. But he also deserved to play.
“We spoke at half-time that when he receives the ball he can’t keep turning back. Then he delivered a great finish and I’m delighted for him. He’s had a tough time.
“We struggled in the first half. They were better than us. But I said to the players ‘get in at 0-0.’ There were a few things we needed to change technically.
“In the second half when we raised our tempo, aggression and energy, we showed we are a match for anyone.”
Morias made the breakthrough eight minutes after the break, curling a right-footed shot from 20 yards into the corner of the net.
Oldham had to play the last 25 minutes with ten men after Edmundson, who was booked in the first half for shoving Morias, received a second yellow card for pulling back Marriott.
The visitors nearly equalised when Dan Gardner’s shot from 20 yards hit the base of the post, before substitute Cooper took Chris Forrester’s superb sliderule pass inside the area and found the corner of the net eight minutes into his debut.
Then Marriott, who was tripped inside the area by Kean Bryan, sent goalkeeper Johny Placide the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Oldham have now gone eight league matches without a win and manager Richie Wellens called the red card a “moment of inexperience.”
He added: “When you go a man down it’s important you have leaders on the pitch.
“You try and stay 1-0 down until the last ten minutes then go for it. The big turning point was Dan Gardner hitting the post at 1-0. “Our game management is not good enough, but I didn’t think it was a penalty. “Some players need to get their confidence going – especially our attacking players. We look neat and tidy but I want us to get goals and assists and kill the teams off. “I’m not going to beat around the bush. When I get a forward the results will change.”