The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Second-half capitulation was a huge disappointment
It takes some doing to let in five goals in one half of football against a Tony Pulis side.
Especially this Middlesbrough team whose permanent place in the Championship top six hasn’t led to universal love for a manager known for pragmatism rather than flair. Boro have scored 28 goals in just 26 second tier games this season. It’s been a grind rather than a pleasure.
Actually that will all sound pretty familiar to Posh fans, some of whom have been objecting to the appointment of manager Steve Evans since before his inevitable arrival. It was a protest that kept going even when Posh were top of League One.
Posh are a long way off that level right now. Indeed this second-half capitulation was a warning shot across the bows of anyone who believes Posh could currently compete at Championship level.
Posh were decent in a dull first-half and should have taken the lead in the 34th minute after a superb move involving five players before Ivan Toney shot hopelessly over the bar with only a 40 year-old goalkeeper to beat.
Toney also headed a freekick from debutant left-back Daniel Lafferty too high, while excellent crosses from Joe Ward and Alex Woodyard went begging before Posh reached half-time level and in good spirits.
But all hope was extinguished in the opening five second-half minutes as £15 million striker Britt Assombalonga and George Friend scored messy and avoidable goals.
It was a romp through a disheartened team for the rest of the game as former Posh favourite Assombalo- nga, substitute Lewis Wing and Ashley Fletcher all scored to inflict the heaviest Posh defeat for almost 30 months as defensive discipline deserted the entire team. Left-back Lafferty and fellow debutant Ben White acquitted themselves reasonably well in a defence that featured three centre-backs who performed well in the first-half before the regular individual errors returned to ensure there would be no FA Cup shock this season.
It was one to forget.
Posh were actually decent in a dull first half.