MATCH REACTION: Favours for a friend, a trialist from Portugal and a good work-out
Peterborough United manager Grant McCann insists he got what he wanted out of tonight's friendly with Championship side Wolves (July 25).
Posh were beaten 1-0 at the ABAX Stadium in a match that lacked goal-mouth incident, but McCann believes his side competed well with a team he expects to challenge for Championship honours.
“Wolves have spent an awful lot of money this summer,” McCann stated. “They brought a player on at half-time who played for Atletico Madrid last season.
“The game won’t live long in the memory, but you have to take into account the standard of opposition so there were many things that impressed me.
“We got what we wanted to get out of the game. The players got another 45 minutes and we managed to try one or two different things which is what pre-season is all about.
“We’ve played three good Championship sides and lost to them all, but we’ve always been in the games which is encouraging.
“Wolves will have a good season, I’m sure of that and they made it hard for us to play how we wanted to play tonight.
“I was disappointed with the goal they scored as we failed to stop a counter attack from our own corner.
“And I was disappointed we didn’t get the ball forward quickly enough. There was too much sideways passing at times.
“But overall pre-season has been good. Our three centre-backs in the first half were very good and Andrea Borg and Lewis Freestone were good in the second-half.
McCann was also quick to dampen speculation that club legend Craig Mackail-Smith’s arrival as a half-time substitute could lead to a contract offer.
McCann added: “Craig has been training with us and I’m always happy to do former players a favour. It was a good opportunity to get himself back in the shop window and I’m sure he will soon find himself another club.”
Posh fans might get more of an idea of McCann’s likely starting line-up for the opening League One game on Saturday (July 29) when they travel to Cheltenham Town.
One of McCann’s former clubs provied the opposition in the final friendly of the season. New signing, centre-back Steven Taylor, will feature in that game.
A Posh XI, likely to be skippered by former Daniel Ricky Miller, will also travel to local non-league club Stamford AFC.
Summer signing Danny Lloyd will return to action on Saturday after missing tonight’s match because of a knock.
McCann fielded a trialist, believed to be Portuguese player Sandro Semeda in place of Lloyd tonight. He will have talks with the player tomorrow.