The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Tom’s backed to fire
Manager Grant McCann insists his side have too many good players not to mount a concerted League One promotion challenge.
Posh dominated a home game against Walsall last Saturday and an away match at Shrewsbury on Tuesday, but drew both matches 1-1.
Marcus Maddison scored a great equalising goal against Walsall, but Posh wasted a dominant first-half display at Shrewsbury and relied on a penalty save from Luke McGee to preserve a point.
Central defender Ryan Tafazolli was sent off conceding the penalty with over half an hour to go.
Posh failed to win any of five League One matches in September. Four were drawn and Posh are ninth ahead of this Saturday’s trip to Southend.
But McCann said: “We are frustrated, but we have too many good players not to turn it around.
“We dominated a lot of the game against Walsall, but ran into one of the best goalkeep- ers in League One playing at the top of his form.
“And we were outstanding in the first-half at Shrewsbury with the players accepting they should have been four or five goals ahead at half-time.
“We just needed a second goal and we would have won the game. We would also have won the game if Ryan Tafazolli hadn’t been sent off, but that’s the way things have been lately. We are missing too many chances to score and we can’t completely cut out the defensive mistakes, but I was encouraged by what I saw at Shrewsbury.
“It was a very good awayperformance, especially in the first-half when we regularly cut them open.
“We also showed great resolve after we went down to 10 men. We were disciplined and organised and we might have nicked it at the end.
“When I see the likes of Marcus Maddison and Gwion Edwards working so hard defensively for the team I know there is nothing wrong with the spirit in the team.
“Neither player is known for that sort of work, but they displayed great maturity. I was pleased with how well the whole team dug in.
“Marcus also showed his quality again with a great goal against Walsall, while Gwion continues to prove exactly why I brought him to the club.
“He makes great runs and he’s a brave lad who likes to get on the end of things. Four of his five goals this season have been headers. “Obviously we went into both games wanting three points, but it’s important that if we can’t win then we don’t lose. This is going to be a very competitive division this season and I have no doubt we will be in the right end of it when it matters.
“No team is threatening to run away with promotion, but any team that can string four or five wins together will get themselves into a very strong position.
“We are capable 0f doing that.”
Posh are currently four points off the final League One play-offspot, butalso just four points away from the relegation zone.
Scunthorpe sre setting the pace with 21 points from 10 matches.
Grant McCann: “If you can’t win, it’s important not to lose.”