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Posh 1, Barnsley 2 - It's a Halloween horror show
Another frustrating Saturday afternoon for the London Road fans and one fears there will be several more to come this season.
Another frustrating Saturday afternoon for the London Road fans and one fears there will be several more to come this season.TO be honest the situation was scary at London Road even before this Halloween horror show.
It's been obvious for some time that the Posh squad is thinner than a skeleton for this standard of football and this defeat against a workmanlike, yet still far superior, Barnsley team has rammed home the fact that the heroes of yesterday will not necessarily be the stars of tomorrow.
The club's 'Holy Trinity' of strikers have taken the step up in their stride – most notably George Boyd who was superb for the most part again – but others are struggling to adapt. Lessons are not being learnt which places question marks against the teachers as well as the pupils.
Posh were pretty good until taking the lead through Boyd's penalty midway through the first half, but the defensive frailties which have plagued this campaign resurfaced within 70 seconds when Daniel Bogdanovic headed home from six yards.
And barely 10 minutes later Craig Morgan's sloppy pass led directly to Jon Macken's emphatic finish. The game should have been stopped then as the confidence drained from the Posh side so abruptly, they failed to force their former goalkeeper Luke Steele into a single second-half save.
Manager Darren Ferguson opened his post-match press conference by grumbling 'same old story' before repeating his belief that relegation is not going to follow two promotions. It's a confidence matched by his players publicly, but by fewer and fewer fans as each poor result arrives.
Clearly Ferguson is no fool and equally clearly his hands are tied to some extent by finances, but his tolerance of Morgan's errors, wingers masquerading as full-backs and the lack of alternative forward firepower is not matched by those on the terraces.
Saturday's substitutes' bench included four defenders and a goalkeeper which isn't ideal for a team that tends to be chasing the game before half-time.
It has become too easy to play against Posh. Opponents defend deep to negate the pace in the Posh forward line in the sure knowledge that chances will arrive at the other end.
And once in front, just throw up a wall of midfielders in front of a back four camped on the edge of the penalty area and watch Posh pass it backwards and square before the ball is launched hopefully into the distance. Too often free-kicks on the half-way line end up at the feet of the Posh goalkeeper without an opponent touching the ball.
It also doesn't help when one-third of the club's goal potential is ruled out before kick-off. Craig Mackail-Smith's hamstring failure was the most unwanted news of the week at London Road and replacing him with Shaun Batt was like swapping a Ferrari for a Fiesta.
Batt is as game as they come, but he would be considered raw in League Two, never mind the Championship. His woefully heavy and misdirected pass when Boyd was in the clear ruined one early opportunity and his second-half volley after Aaron Mclean's strike at goal had been superbly blocked by Stephen Foster didn't even reach the goal-line.
Lee Frecklington curled a 20-yard shot just over the crossbar as Posh started the second half promisingly, but optimism soon faded, along with the midfielder's accuracy as a lamentable late free-kick must have cleared the crossbar by 20 yards.
Boyd swung some glorious crosses into the box in the first half. Mclean was inches away from one, but from a corner Gaby Zakuani was manhandled to the floor by Darren Moore enabling Posh to take the lead from the spot.
Match details:
POSH 1
BARNSLEY 2
GOALS: Posh - Boyd (pen, 24 mins).
Barnsley - Bogdanovic (26 mins), Macken (39 mins).
REFEREE: Carl Boyeson (Hull) 5
ATTENDANCE: 8,556.
Barnsley - Foster (foul), Bogdanovic (unsportsmanlike conduct), Shotton (foul)
But the good news ended there until teenager Ryan Bennett's arrival as a substitute for Zakuani 20 minutes from time. Bennett and Morgan came close from set-pieces, but in truth Barnsley were rarely ill at ease.
Indeed with Macken delivering a masterclass in hold-up play by a centre-forward, Barnsley looked just as likely to score.
Debutant Posh goalkeeper Ben Amos, who looked suspect under crosses, made a fine save to thwart Foster from a free-kick and Macken saw a late 'goal' disallowed for offside.
But it was never likely to matter. Until Posh add some nous, some experience and even some brawn to their squad, the fans, who were again in fine vocal form at times, are going to endure many more frustrating afternoons.
Reaction:
Ferguson: Posh will not be going down.
Boyd a 6 million target for Spurs.
Player ratings:
Peterborough United
BEN AMOS 5
Tough game for a teenage debutant and looked shaky at crosses into the box
CHARLIE LEE 6
Plays with oodles of enthusiasm and a big heart
TOMMY ROWE 5
Looked out of sorts defensively and little attacking threat either
CRAIG MORGAN 5
A terrible passing blunder undermined an otherwise solid display
GABY ZAKUANI 5
Won the penalty, but lost his man for opening Barnsley goal
CHRIS WHELPDALE 6
He was competing strongly until limping off before the interval
TOUMANI DIAGOURAGA 5
Too often off the pace in the middle of the park and his passing is erratic
LEE FRECKLINGTON 5
Caught in possession too often for comfort
GEORGE BOYD 8
Head and shoulders above his team-mates again, deserves better support
SHAUN BATT 5
His pace always makes defenders wary, but his control often lets him down
AARON MCLEAN 6
Tries his heart out, but lost without his man strike partner
Substitutes:
Danny Rose: (for Whelpdale, 38 mins) Too easily knocked off the ball, wayward shooting 5
Ryan Bennett: (for Zakuani, 63 mins).
Not used: Dean Keates, James McKeown, Krystian Pearce, Scott Griffiths, Russell Martin.
Barnsley
Luke Steele 6
Ryan Shotton 7
Carl Dickinson 7
Darren Moore 6
Stephen Foster 7
Anderson De Silva 7
Adam Hammill 7
Nathan Doyle 7
Hugo Colace 6
Daniel Bogdanovic 6
Jon Macken 8
Substitutes:
Iain Hume: (for Bogdanovic, 63 mins).
Julian Gray: (for Hammill, 68 mins).
Jacob Butterfield: (for Doyle, 88 mins).
Bobby Hassell: (not used).
Jamal Campbell-Ryce: (not used),
Andy Gray: (not used).
David Preece: (not used).
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Weather for Peterborough
Sunday 12 February 2012
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Wind direction: North west
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