Disrupted preparation leads to damaging defeat for Peterborough Sports against relegation rivals
Peterborough Sports have dropped back into the bottom four in the National League North after a disappointing defeat to fellow strugglers Hereford.
Sports went to great lengths to get Saturday’s match on, first by reversing the fixture given the unplayable state of the Edgar Street pitch and then to prepare their own at PIMS Park after being forced to miss a training session on Thursday due to the poor conditions.
All of the effort came for no reward, however, as Sports were beaten by two second half goals. With Sports struggling to work the ball up to their forward players, the visitors took the lead with 20 minutes to play through a long range strike from Gus Mafuta. Then with ten to play, I-Lani Edwards fired in a low effort.
The result saw Hereford leapfrog Sports out of the bottom four on goal difference. The sides now sit in 20th and 21st.
The match was Sports’ first since November 25 after last Saturday’s match away at South Shields was postponed. The weather also but pay to a planned training session two days before the game, which boss Phil Brown believes showed in hie side’s performances.
He said: “ Two steps forward, one step back seems to be the way. It was the right thing to do to reverse the fixture, we wanted a game. We missed a training session on Thursday and is showed, we lost our rhythm and timing.
“We got in a lot of good positions but then our forwards, particularly Kaine, got started to get starved of service. We didn’t have enough quality in the final third or in any part of the game.
“We huffed and puffed in front of goal and did not ask them enough tough questions.
“It’s not a bad day at the office, it is something we need to understand and realise that we can’t take out foot off the gas. We need to find a way of being more consistent. Once you start taking steps forward, you are expected to produce that level week in, week out and we don’t. We need to understand the reason why.”
The postponed match against South Shields has been rearranged for Tuesday December 16. Before that, Sports will travel to National League side Scunthorpe in the FA Trophy third round on Saturday (December 13).
Two players have also departed the club with forward Theo Williams returning to King’s Lynn Town following the expiration of his loan deal, while high-profile summer signing Josh Cavallo has dropped a division to join Stamford after struggling for game time.