Goals rather than passing stats win football matches

Posh dominated the data for the second League One game in a row, which just goes to show how irrelevant matchday statistics can be.

Darren Ferguson’s men had all the ball at Highbury. They won more corners, they had more efforts on goal and created more chances, but shooting themselves in the foot has become the Posh theme.

Fleetwood set themselves up not to lose. They didn’t seem that fussed about attacking, possibly in the knowledge that a Posh team still reeling from a Saturday shocker would help them on their way.

And so it proved as a dreadful pass out from the back from Frankie Kent was followed by some weak fullback play on both flanks enabling Promise Omochere to head home from close range.

That was the 20th minute. Posh had already showed their supposed superiority, notably when Jack Taylor’s superb 20 yarder was tipped onto the bar by home ‘keeper Jay Lynch.

Posh were constantly making great inroads down the left where full debutant loanee Nathanael Ogbeta was full of running and quality, but there was no finishing in the first-half and little creativity after the break as a second defeat in a row was meekly accepted.

Ephron Mason-Clark before the break, and Jack Taylor after it, sidefooted wide from good positions, while Jonson Clarke-Harris sent a header just wide from the penalty spot in the first-half before failing to convince the referee a collision midway through the second period with Lynch was worthy of a penalty.

Ogbeta became so fed up the wastefulness of others he sped thrillingly into the penalty area just before the break without finding a way past Lynch.

In a way this was a worse defeat than the previous one given the sheer ordinariness of a home side lacking in quality or attacking urgency.

But they recorded a second 1-0 win over Posh this season. And that’s the only metric that really matters.

MATCH FACTS: Goal: Fleetwood – Omochere (20). Posh cautions – N. Thompson, Knight. Attendance: 3,037 (210 Posh).

Posh’s Nathanael Ogbeta in action against Fleetwood Town