The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Mackail-smith was so happy to see Posh survive
“MAYBE, one day, you never know.” That was Craig Mackail-smith’s answer to the most pertinent Posh-related question that came his way on Sunday - the one that wondered whether or not he might return to London Road full-time in the future.
But one suspects that’s really a long-shot. There’s probably more chance of Darragh Macanthony applying for benefits in the near future,
Mackail-smith is one of the most polite, engaging footballers on earth and he’d never say anything to upset Posh fans. He’s well aware of his status as a Posh Legend which is why he was back on his old stomping ground on Sunday.
The club’s third-highest scorer agreed to play for Posh in a charity match against Arsenal. Naturally he received the biggest cheer from the impressive crowd, inevitably he agreed to make the day for a few youngsters by presenting some medals, of course he scored (surprisingly though with his left-foot from 20 yards) and as usual he was happy to be interviewed after the game.
But the all-round goodness also hides a determined streak. Mackail-smith will be a man on a mission next season and that mission is to become as important to Brighton FC as he was to Posh.
The Scottish international has just finished a steady, rather than spectacular, season at the AMEX Stadium following his £2.5 million move from Posh.
“I had to get used to a different style of football,” MackailSmith stated. “The manager prefers to keep possession rather than get it forward quickly and risk losing the ball.
“It certainly works for the team though so I’m determined to adapt my game successfully so I keep getting picked.
“I scored 10 goals which is not so bad for a first season, but I’d expect to score more next year.
“It’s a great club to play for though and I have no regrets over the move. We play in a fan- tastic stadium where the atmosphere is always brilliant.
“They are adding an extra 6,000 seats for next season and they’ll sell them all. We could be playing in front of 30,000 at home
“As a team we were disappointed not to finish in the playoffs at least. We were in the top six with three games to go so it was a shame not to finish the season better.
“But it was still an enjoyable season. We know what to expect now and we know we can compete with the best teams.
“I was obviously happy to see Posh survive as well. The boys did a great job and never looked like going down.
“Hopefully they’ll be able to kick on and have another good season.”
Mackail-smith used Sunday’s Legends clash as fitness training as well as a catch-up session with some old friends and teammates.
He played almost the entire 90 minutes and he will be on the go fitness-wise for the whole of May as he hopes to go to Florida to play for Scotland against the United States at the end of the month.
“It’s surprising how quickly your fitness drops,” MackailSmith addeed. “I’ve only had a week off and I was feeling it at the end of the Legends match.
“I haven’t heard from Scotland yet, but hopefully I’ll get the e-mail saying I’m in the squad soon.
“I really enjoyed Sunday. The reception I got from the fans was terrific and it was great fun reminiscing before the game with the likes of Charlie Lee, Tom Williams, Adam Newton and Micah Hyde about all the success we had together.
“Will I come back? Maybe one day, who knows?”
THE Legends match between Posh and Arsenal was hosted at London Road by the Helping Hands Group, Over 1,600 fans watched Posh win 4-2 with goals from Mackail-smith, Ken Charlery, David Farrell and Marcus Ebdon.
The Helping Hands Group, based at Charford House, Padholme Road, offers further education, personal development and day opportunities for adults with a wide range of disabilities including Autism, Sensory Impairment, Brain Injury, PMLD and Aspergers Syndrome.