FERGIE TIME!
Darren Ferguson’s Posh side leave it to the 100th minute to sink Derby
DARREN FERGUSON insisted he could smell victory when he spoke to his Peterborough United players at half-time. For Wayne Rooney, though, there was only the whiff of disappointment as his Derby County side slipped to a costly defeat after conceding twice in added time.
Prior to their late collapse, Rooney’s side had looked capable of holding on as they protected the 77th-minute lead given to them by Jack Stretton. The signalling of 11 minutes stoppage time — largely due to an injury to Derby forward Colin KazimRichards — gave Ferguson’s side hope and, after levelling through Harrison Burrows, they seized victory seconds before the final whistle thanks to Siriki Dembele.
The outcome was crushing for Rooney and his players, particularly as both late goals came after defensive errors. In addition, the loss of Kazim-Richards weakens his squad in an area where his options were already limited, increasing the manager’s early-season concerns.
‘Lapses in concentration have cost us and it is results that matter in the end,’ said the Derby manager. ‘We let a runner go for the first goal and then a mistake for the second and that happens. But the one thing you can’t question is the players’ attitude and their hard work.
‘We did quite well as a team and caused them problems. We should be creating more chances. But I never felt danger. We deserved to win and we’re going to go away with no points.’
Stretton, 19, came on as a replacement for KazimRichards who went to ground early in the second half and could face a lengthy absence after being carried off the field. The youngster impressed and finished well for his first senior goal after Peterborough failed to clear a corner. But with Derby under a transfer embargo that limits them to a 23m a n squad, more will now be expected from a teenager who has yet to start a league game.
‘It’s a great finish by Jack and I’m pleased for him getting his goal,’ said Rooney. ‘But I think the bigger issue is Colin getting his injury and we are left with no recognised senior striker.
‘Jack is going to have pressure on his hands unless something changes. I’m not asking for favours. That’s where we are. That’s where we have been allowed to get to and that’s where we are stuck.’
Ferguson’s side deserved credit for the way they stuck to their task. They gathered momentum in the final stages of the game before Joe Ward’s cross set up Burrows’ equaliser in the 91st minute before another Ward ball into the box led to Dembele’s winner.
Victory delivered Peterborough’s first points following last season’s promotion and Ferguson said: ‘I knew that the stoppage time was going to play a big part because if you are winning, the 11 extra minutes gets them going; if you’re losing, the extra 11 minutes gets us going.
‘We have a great record of coming back in games and it’s important to keep our home form going — it’s going to be vital.
‘Sometimes you can smell a result and at half-time I told the team: “You’ve got to win this game”.
‘It was a game we needed to get something out of. You don’t get time to hang around in this league. It’s relentless.’