New Peterborough Sports boss delighted with the attitude, fight and quality of his players in impressive FA Cup win
New boss Phil Brown was delighted with the response of his Peterborough Sports players to a different voice.
Brown replaced joint-managers Michael Gash and Luke Steele before a superb 2-1 FA Cup win over Hornchurch at PIMS Park, one secured by goals from debutant Marcel Oakley and Theo Williams against the unbeaten leaders of National League South. Hornchurch had been reduced to 10 men in first-half injury time, but equalised before a winner from Williams.
Brown had also hoped to give a debut to winger Malik Cadogan, but Sports didn’t receive international clearance for the Guyana player in time.
“I’m nothing short of delighted by the response,” Brown told Peterborough Community Radio. “When you come to a new club it’s a nervous time for everyone including me, and I’ve done it a fair few times!
"There was a lot going on when I met the players for the first time on Thursday. I hadn’t signed my contract and I was trying to bring in a couple of new signings, while there was a group of players waiting for some words of wisdom.
"But the best part of Thursday was the training session, and the way the players approached it. They showed they can all handle the ball.
"And now we’ve just beaten a team top of an equivalent league to ours and who were unbeaten. We can’t get blase about it and we can’t over-react to it, but we have to take plenty of belief from it.
"Marcel was good on his debut in a position that is a bit foreign to him as he’s played right back and right wing, but no much as a wing-back, yet he took his goal superbly.
“All round I asked for a fighting mentality, some attitude with a bit of quality and we got that. They got a goal with 10 men, but the way we reacted to that was impressive. It was a quality winning goal from us.
“The only disappointment was suffering injuries and that might be because of the demands I made on the players. I might have to readdress the way I attack projects now as this is not a full-time club so I have to cut my cloth accordingly.
"We’ve laid down a marker though.”
Regular goalkeeper Peter Crook was absent from the matchday squad, but Sam Edwards played well in his place.
Aaron Powell, Mark Jones and Mustapha Carayol all went off with injuries. They will be assessed well before Sports travel to Southport for a National League North fixture next Saturday (September 20).
Sports: Edwards, Oakley (sub 68 min , Williams), Fox, Fryatt, Powell (sub 29 mins, Hickingbottom), Carayol (sub 51 mins, Miller), McLintock, Whitehouse, McCann, Jones (sub 38 mins, Booth), Straughan-Brown.
Unused Subs: Cavallo, Dyer.