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The Posh co-owner praised the club’s fans for the way they have backed Randall this season after the player’s difficult two years at London Road.

They were rewarded with a first Randall goal – 24 months after he arrived at London Road in a million pound transfer from Exeter City – in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Swindon Town.

And MacAnthony also revealed he’d spoken to Randall in the summer and told him to look at how Szmodics played in his time at Posh.

Joe Randall celebrates his first Posh goal with the help of teammate Ricky-Jade Jones. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

"Sammie could miss five one-on-ones in a game, but he still wouldn’t stop running and working hard for the team,” MacAnthony said on the latest edition of his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast. “And our fans loved him for it.

Hard Truth

"And Sammie is now playing well in the Championship with Blackburn and may yet move on up.

"You can have all the talent in the world, but you have to ally it with hard work and Joel has done that in the first two games. He’s showing why we spent all that money on him two years ago.

Sammie Szmodics in action for Posh. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com

"I told Joel in the summer he had all the tangibles to be successful, but he needed to be seen to be working hard. Fans love that in a player rather than a player who looked forlorn.

“And full credit to our fans who have really got behind him. The noise after he scored on Tuesday was brilliant and can’t fail to have lifted him. They really got behind him and it was great to see.

"It’s easy to forget how young Joel is, but his ball retention, his running and passing have been a level above at times times this season. He set up two late chances against Swindon towards the end of the game with lovely passes at a time when he was probably tired.

"And on top of it all he’s a lovely young man.”

After starting just seven competitive matches in his first two season, 23 year-old Randall has started the first two games of the current campaign in the pivotal number ‘10’ role.

He is expected to start Saturday’s home League One match at home to Charlton.

Randall’s best mate Archie Collins, who also moved to Posh from Exeter in the summer, is also set to start.

Also in the latest edition of his podcast MacAnthony predicted Collins would be ‘the signing of the summer.

Szmodics scored 27 goals in 96 appearances for Posh and starred in the League One promotion season on 2020-21.

Chairman urges Randall to follow the example of a Peterborough United promotion hero of the recent past