Peterborough Sports now preparing for a series of crucial six pointers in their bid to stay up
Manager Phil Brown believes Peterborough Sports will have to win a series of ‘six-pointers’ to avoid relegation from the National League North.
Sports dropped back into the drop zone after collapsing early in the second-half of their clash with title fancies South Shields at PIMS Park on Saturday. Shields scored all their goals in a 3-0 win between the 48th and 51st minutes.
The city side are two points from safety, but are also under threat from two teams below them, Alfreton and Hereford United, who have five and seven games in hand and only one and five points respectively to make up.
But the month March could be make or break for Sports who have games against teams who also far from clear of danger, starting with 17th-placed Southport at PIMS Park next Saturday (March 7). King’s Lynn (19th place), Alfreton (22nd) and Leamington (24th) are also upcoming opponents.
“Since I’ve been at the club we’ve spent half of my time inside the bottom four and half my time outside it,” Brown told Peterborough Community Radio. “We needed snookers when I arrived and we went as high as 18th. What this tells me is these players prefer to chase rather than to be chased so hopefully the fact we are in the relegation zone will hurt the players and fire them up again.
"Every game is pretty much a six-pointer for us now. We are playing a few teams in and around us and we must make sure we are mentally stronger and better prepared. Football is a mental game more than a physical game and some fans questioned whether or not some of the players are bothered. We can also use those words as fuel.
"The first-half yesterday went according to plan. We stayed in the game and they weren’t hurting us, but it all went out of the window in five second-half minutes. The first punch they threw knocked us down and we didn’t get up again. Even at 1-0 you still have a chance, but at 3-0 against this standard of opposition it was game over.
“To concede goals so quickly showed a bad mentality. We got over our first hurdle by reaching half-time at 0-0, but we were knocked over by the second hurdle.
"I would rather have the points on the board rather than games in hand, and I know one win or good result will enable us to turn the corner. The players should be hurting on Sunday and Monday, and then be ready to get back to work again on Tuesday.”
Sports were without both left-backs Connor Wood and Aaron Powell, as well as senior goalkeeper Peter Crook, yesterday