The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Posh playing ‘catch-up’
Manager Darren Ferguson admits momentum must be found soon or Posh can forget all about reaching the League One play-offs.
Shrewsbury joined Scunthorpe and Plymouth as teams in the bottom four to have won League One matches at Posh in 2019.
Posh were leading through Jason Naismith’s first goal for the club until top scorer Ivan Toney became the third player in Ferguson’s five-match reign to receive a first-half red card.
Toney was despatched for clawing a goalbound shot off the goalline and Posh promptly conceded two goals in under 10 minutes to lose the game.
Remarkably, despite a run of four wins in 17 League One matches, Posh are just two points outside the play-off places with 12 matches to.
They might have to win seven of them though and Ferguson was quick to describe Saturday’s home match with a modest Wycombe side as a ‘must-win’ match.
“We have to get some momentum before it’s too late,” Ferguson stated.
“We really have to beat Wycombe and then take some confidence into the next few matches.
“There is no problem with ability in this squad and once we start keeping 11 men on the pitch we will win plenty of games.
“I’m aware of the points total needed to finish in the top six and I am confident we have the players to get us there.
“The red card was a blow against Shrewsbury as I am sure we would have won that game 11 v 11. And Ivan was the last player we needed to lose.
“It’s not just his goal threat it’s his ability to hold the ball up and get us up the field, but we should have reacted better than we did to his departure. We didn’t organise ourselves quickly enough and the damage was done by conceding two quick goals.
“We did better in the second-half, but even when they went down to 10 men we huffed and puffed without creating a great deal.
“Another red card visibly drained the players though. I could see it in the dressing room at half-time.
“We had chances to equalise though, usually from Marcus Maddison’s set pieces.
“He can drive me mad when he’s wasteful in possession when we’re chasing a game, but you have to keep him on the field because he is the most likely to create a scoring chance.
“He’s a very brave player. He gets stick for giving the ball away, but he never hides.
“I feel sorry for Lee Tomlin as well. I had to sacrifice him when Ivan was sent off as playing one up top requries legs and pace and it wouldn’t have suited Lee as well as Matt Godden who I brought on.
“Lee was looking sharp as well, but I have every confidence he will tear up a few trees before the season is over.
“There are teams we can catch. They will all drop points and they will be playing each other, but we can’t worry about what everyone else is doing. We have to win our own games and see where it takes us.”
At least Posh under 23s have hit a bit of form since Fergusonreturnedtotheclub.
They won for the second game in a row this week as goals from Morgan Penfold (2), Louis Reed and Matty Stevens secured a 4-1 success at Charlton in a Premier Under 23 League Cup tie.
Former Posh boss Steve Evans has been linked with the vacant managerial post at League One rivals Bradford City.
City parted company with manager David Hopkins this week and Evans was promptly installed as 4/1 second favourite to replace him.
Evans was sacked as Posh boss at the end of January with his side in sixth place.
Posh were only outside the top six for one week under Evans this season.
Darren Ferguson: “Ivan Toney was the last player we needed to lose.”