The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Ivan’s not terrible
Peterborough United manager Steve Evans praised the never-say-die attitude of his playing squad after they twice came back from unpromising positions to earn decent draws.
Posh were largely outplayed by a Doncaster Rovers side managed by former boss Grant McCann last Saturday, but rescued a point at the ABAX Stadium thanks to Ryan Tafazolli’s second-half header.
That draw ended the club record winning run of five matches at the start of a Football League season, but the point kept Posh top of the table on goal difference from Portsmouth who are the next League One visitors to Posh on September 15.
And on Tuesday Posh pulled off a dramatic comeback from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at MK Dons in their opening Checkatrade Trophy game despite making 10 changes to their starting line-up.
MK won a penalty shootout 6-5 to claim an extra point, but that didn’t bother Evans.
“This club has a reputation of never lying down when the going gets tough,” Evans stated. “And I pride myself on getting that sort of never-say-die attitude from the players I manage.
“What I have seen in the last two matches makes me even more convinced we are on the right track this season.
“We played poorly against Doncaster, but made sure we didn’t get beaten and the character in a side which included several players who hadn’t had a 90-minute runout for many months showed at MK Dons was exceptional.
“Even when we struggled during the first-half we still created plenty of chances, but after the break we were tremendous. We carved them open at will and how we didn’t win the game was beyond me.”
McCann was given a fine reception after the Doncaster game by home fans despite his dismissal as Posh boss seven months earlier.
“It was nice to be applauded at the end of the game by both sets of fans,” McCann said. “That doesn’t happen very often to a manager. I was delighted with our performance, but disappointed we didn’t win the game.
“We found it easy to nullify their threats and we caused them problems of our own.”
Evans described the game as ‘Doncaster’s cup final’ but accepted his team were second best for most of the game. That performance and some individual displays at MK have given Evans plenty to think about selectionwise ahead of Saturday’s League One trip to Southend.
“I wanted the players who played at MK to make me pick them for the next game,” Evans said. “Some certainly made a strong case so I have plenty to consider before the weekend.
“Jamie Walker was outstanding when he came on. What a player he will be for us. I’m excited by the prospect of him playing for Posh. He hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since last season, but he looked full of running.
“It wasn’t right to change a side that’s been winning 4-1 and 5-1, but as a manager my job is to spot which players might need a little break. “
Marcus Maddison was back in the Posh starting line-up at MK Dons.
Posh manager Steve Evans praised his side’s resilience in two matches.
Steve Evans: “I’m more confident than ever we are on the right track.”