The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Fergie finds the postives in a sloppy display
BIG MATCH REPORT: FIRST ROUND FA CUP SUCCESS AS USUAL
Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson managed to find some positives from a sloppy performance after lowly League Two side Stevenage were beaten 2-0 in an FA Cup first round replay at the Weston Homes Stadium on Tuesday.
An early goal from Mo Eisa – his 13th of the season – and a very late one from 17 yearold Ricky-Jade Jones earned Posh a home tie in the second round against National League side Dover Athletic on the weeekend of November 30/December 1.
The win meant Posh have not lost a first round tie for 14 years, but the performance against the team bottom of the entire Football League was far from convincing.
“Ricky’s goal was a highlight,” Ferguson said. “The other positives were we got through, we won at home again and we kept a clean sheet, but the performance level was far short of what I expect.
“We had the perfect start with a goal after just 10 minutes and then I just felt we would kick on and take the game away from them.
“But we did the opposite of what I wanted. We passed the ball too slowly, there was no tempo to our game and it was like we just expected things to happen for us. That’s not how football works. No matter who the opposition is, you have to make things happen yourself.
“We did create plenty of chances when the game opened up towards the end, but we were lucky to have the opportunity to make it 2-0 because Christy Pym has made an excellent save to keep us ahead just before then.
“Our standards have dipped a bit recently. When we play like we can with a proper tempo we look a very good side, but we’re not back there yet.
“We were very sloppy. There is a lot we can improve and we will need to.”
Goalkeeper Pym was an unexpected star on the night as a couple of crucial saves ensured a welcome clean sheet.
He believes his side must return to basics to recapture their best form.
“It was a very bitty game which is not unusual for this time of the year,” Pym said.
“We scored early and then took our foot off the gas for some reason.
“We gave them too much encouragement and they had a couple of chances.
“Craig Mackail-Smith missed a good one after poor play from us and I managed to save a couple.
“It’s good to get back to keeping clean sheets, but we probably need to start getting the basics right again to get back to our best form.
“We need to pass the ball better and we we need to move it forward quicker after one or two touches. It’s what we were doing earlier in the season.
“We have been flying in training, but we need to push each other more during games so we can get back to those levels. We have lost the last two League One matches so we need to get back on the winning track on Saturday.
“These FA Cup games you are expected to win can get very sticky. The expectations were all on us against Stevenage whereas they had nothing to lose.
“The fans can get agitated while the game is in the balance and the opposition get their tails up.
“We might have looked like dead certs, but football never works out like that. We got through though, which is the most important thing.”
Posh ‘keeper Christy Pym made two crucial saves against Stevenage
Craig Mackail-Smith missed a good chance to score