The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
‘Worst’ display will motivate Posh
Correct score: Posh to win: 1-0: 17/2
2-0: 12/1
2-1: 9/1
3-0: 25/1
3-1: 20/1
3-2: 28/1
4-0: 50/1
4-1: 50/1
4-2: 66/1
Draw: 0-0: 11/1 1-1: 11/2 Southend to win 1-0: 9/1
2-0: 14/1
2-1: 9/1
3-0: 33/1
3-1: 22/1
3-2:28/1
4-0: 80/1
4-1: 50/1
4-2: 66/1
2-2: 12/1 3-3: 50/1
First goalscorer: 4/1 Cummings (Posh), 9/2 Godden (Posh), Toney (Posh), Cox (Southend), 5/1 Dembele (Posh), Maddison (Posh), Hopper (Southend), 6/1 O’Hara (Posh), Walker (Posh), McCoulsky (Southend), Robinson (Southend), 7/1 Cooper (Posh), Mantom (Southend), 8/1 McLaughlin (Southend), 9/1 Reed (Posh), 12/1 Ward (Posh), 16/1 Daniel (Posh), 20/1 Tafazolli (Posh), Naismith (Posh).
Impressive Peterborough United full-back Jason Naismith insists the players will use ‘the worst performance of the season’ as motivation for Saturday’s tricky trip to Southend.
Posh escaped with a point after being outplayed by former manager Grant McCann’s slick Doncaster side at the ABAX Stadium last Saturday.
And that point was good enough to keep Posh on top of the League One table despite a five-game winning streak coming to an end.
“We fell well below the standards we have set this season,” Naismith said. “But we didn’t lose, we are still unbeatenand we are still top of the table so there is no point in getting downhearted by the performance. The important thing is to learn from it and put it right for the next game.
“You can’t play well in all 46 games. There will also be times when you play well and lose so we will treat last week as a good point, one that could be crucial come the end of the season.”
Posh manager Steve Evans was naturally disappointed to see his side drop points for the first time this season, but he’s challenged his side to start another winning streak.
And he’s taking no notice of Southend’s lengthy absentee list. He’s expecting the usual tough encounter at Roots Hall.
“Winning five games in a row is extremely difficult,” Evans said. “It won’t happen very often, but if you win three games in a row often enough you will go close to promotion.
“We will go to Southend full of confidence because we are top of the league. I can’t get too interested in any problems they have. I know they will field a side with many top players and they will be well organised by an outstanding manager.
“It’s always hard to win at Southend and Posh have a poor record there so we are under no illusions about the task we have. But we have the greatest incentive of all to get a win. If we pick up three points we will still be top of the table on Saturday night and that’s the best place to be.
“We’ve enjoyed being at the top and we want to stay there for as long as we can so we need to bounce back from our worst performance of the season last weekend.”
Posh will be without midfielder Callum Cooke. He twisted his ankle in the early stages of Tuesday’s game at MK Dons and faces three weeks on the sidelines. Jack Marriott rescued a point for Posh in this fixture last season with a second-half equaliser in a 1-1 draw. It was also 1-1 courtesy of a late Marcus Maddison goal the season before. Posh last won at Southend in a Football League match in September 1999 when a first-half Simon Davies strike secured a 1-0 win in a Division Three clash.
Posh: Tyler, Hooper, Drury, Edwards, Wicks, Davies, Castle, Etherington, Farrell, Clarke, Forinton. Subs used: Chapple, Shields, Scott.
Overall Posh have a pretty dismal record at Roots Hall having won just five and lost 13 of 25 Football League visits.
It took Posh eight trips to secure their first win at Southend when goals in the final 10 minutes from Colin Garwood and Brian Wright sealed a 2-1 success in a Division Four game Southend duo Jason Demetriou and Harry Kyprianou won’t be available for the Posh match because they’ve been called into the Cyprus squad.
Luke Hyam, Rob Kiernan, Dru Yearwood, Ted Smith, Sam Barratt and Harry Lennon are all injured while Michael Kightly and first-choice goalkeeper Mark Oxley are suspended. Southend had to give teenage goalkeeper Nathan Bishop his first start against Cambridge United in midweek. There is still plenty of talent available to manager Chris Powell on Saturday though. Striker Tom Hopper is the club’s top scorer with three goals and he could be joined in attack by experienced forwards Theo Robinson and Simon Cox. Centre-back Michael Turner and left-back Ben Coker are excellent defenders at League One level. Southend were tough to beat at Roots Hall last season, but they’ve already been beaten at home by Doncaster and Charlton this season. Their only home success was a comfortable 2-0 win against Bradford City. Southend’s other League One win was at struggling Bristol Rovers.
They beat Cambridge 3-1 in a Checkatrade Trophy tie on Tuesday.
Last season Southend finished a place and a point behind Posh after a strong surge under new boss Chris Powell. Chris Powell is backing his team to sail through some ‘choppy waters’. Southend had 12 players unavailable for their Checkatrade Trophy tie on Tuesday because of injuries, international call-ups and suspensions.
But Powell said: “At the moment we’re going through some choppy waters, but that’s fine.
“We don’t have a fully fit squad. We have suspensions, injuries and players away on international duty now too so it’s a tough time, but we will sail through it and get through to the other side. Football changes very quickly and we’ve seen that already this season.” Powell steered Southend up the league table last season after his February appointment.