Peterborough Sports deliver an 'unacceptable capitulation' in the FA Cup as manager talks about ripping the squad up and starting again
Peterborough Sports manager Phil Brown described his side’s second-half performance in an FA Cup defeat at Harborough Town as ‘an unacceptable’ capitulation.
Harborough play a division below Sports, but ran out 4-1 winners in a third qualifying round tie. The city side were only a goal down at the break, but Max Booth failed to convert an early second-half chance and the hosts went on to score three times in 18 minutes to seal a place in Monday’s fourth qualifying round draw. Booth grabbed a late consolation goal for Sports who have failed again in a mission to reach the first round proper for the first time.
Brown talked about ‘ripping the squad up and starting again’ in his post-match interview with Peterborough Community Radio. He spoke after sitting his players down on the pitch for a post-match debrief.
“I was actually buoyed before the game as the younger lads had been bouncing,” Brown said. “And we coped well with a team who thrive on long balls, direct play and set-pieces for 35 minutes, right up until they scored the first goal.
"We were still in the game and we should have equalised from six yards early in the second-half after a fantastic piece of football, but then conceding three goals in the manner we did was the unacceptable part of the game. I don’t want to be super-critical of the younger players as there were alot of kids on the pitch who were looking for leadership and experience to guide them and we didn’t have it.
"I have no problem with an opponent’s playing style. If it works for you do it. We couldn’t match them stature-wise at set pieces, but it’s not about the size of the dog in a fight it’s about the size of the fight in the dog. It’s about putting bodies on the line in the six-yard box and we just didn’t do it. We deserved to lose 4-1, but the capitulation in the second-half was unacceptable. The chairman didn’t deserve that
“I brought the players onto the pitch after the game because I had things they needed to hear and I wanted some privacy. I might have to rip this up and start again. How it happens will be a conversation I have with the chairman. Hopefully actions rather than words will point us in the right direction, maybe to getting some Phil Brown players in.
“We have to play with more thought and effort and, more importantly, with more heart and soul in our defending. If teams lay a glove on us we go down and that can’t happen.
"Usually in my career I would have the players in on a Sunday and then in again on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday because I want that 24/7 mentality. I can’t do that here.”
Sports are a part-time National League North club whose players are contracted for two nights training a week and matchdays. They host Brown’s old club Kidderminster Harriers in a league game at PIMS Park next Saturday (October 4).
Sports are currently bottom. Brown has signed four new players since he arrived at the club just over two weeks ago, but there are several players currently absent because of injury.
Sports: Crook, Oakley, Hickingbottom, Fryatt (sub 90+1min, Cavallo), Faakye (sub 78 mins, Fox), McCann, Whitehouse (sub 61 mins, Cadogan), Davies (sub 61 mins, Straughan-Brown), McLintock, Booth, Jarvis (sub 61 mins, Williams).
Unused subs: Edwards, Powell.
Spalding United and Stamford AFC did win FA Cup ties yesterday and will be in the fourth qualifying round draw on Monday (2pm). One more win sees teams reach the first round proper.