The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The 10 basic things Posh must get right
All of a sudden Posh are looking good for a League One play-off place.
But can they stay there? Yes, if the following 10 things all happen…
1) Maintain current momentum. Posh are now top of the League One current form table based on the last six matches. They’ve gained 10 points on Bolton Wanderers and nine points on Derby County in that time. Posh were the only team in the top half to win both Easter games.
2) Avoid complacency. The Easter Monday home game with Exeter City was too easy for 45 minutes as Posh cruised into a 2-0 lead, which might well have been why they started the secondhalf so sloppily and threatened to become pegged back. Posh might not get away with such a lackadaisical approach in the games to come.
3) Cut out the silly errors. Goalkeeper Will Norris will rightly shoulder the blame for letting a soft shot get past him against Exeter, but the ball had been given away carelessly and there was then zero pressure on the eventual goalscorer as he shaped to shoot.
4)
Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Taylor must stay fit.
They are the two irreplaceable players in this Posh team. Ephron Mason-Clark is also becoming indispensable.
5) Posh must be ruthless in their approach. Goal difference and goals scored could be crucial in the final reckoning. There must be no easing off during games. Ipswich Town aside, Posh have the most attacking firepower in the top six and they need to keep showing it. They have now scored the joint second most goals in the division (71) after the Tractor Boys.
6) Draws are no good in a division this tight. It’s worth taking the chance of losing to go all out for the win in close matches.
7) Encourage bold play from defenders. Ronnie Edwards burst out from the back in the first-half against Exeter before he was rudely interrupted by a visiting defender 25 yards from goal. He has the skill and the vision to make runs like that more often. It could be decisive, and unexpected, when teams are sitting in low blocks.
8) Cambridge United must be beaten on Saturday. Win that and Posh travel to another relegation-haunted side Accrington Stanley on Tuesday with great confidence to, hopefully, ease the pressure before a home game with possible champions Ipswich Town.
9) The players shouldn’t look too far ahead. It’s easy now there are only five games to go to start looking at upcoming fixtures, but that
would be an error. Don’t take your eye off the ball. If Posh pick up six points from two games against the bottom four they could well have extended their advantage over Derby, who travel to Bristol Rovers and Exeter City next, and Bolton, who are at Oxford and Burton.
10) The fans need to stay with the team even in difficult moments. Forget the stuff off the field and concentrate on getting behind the lads. Together everything is possible.