Darren Ferguson disappointed as ‘knackered’ Posh fall to defeat at Fratton Park

Posh were soundly beaten and failed to really lay a glove on their League One opponents ahead of their last big test before the Championship opener against Luton next Saturday (August 7).

Posh were 1-0 down inside 15 minutes after a mistake at the back between Beevers and Pym and then fell further behind just before the break after Ronan Curtis curled in a shot from the edge of the box.

Ferguson said: “Even in the opening 15 minutes, it just didn’t feel right. Maybe we’ve made a mistake playing them two games so quickly together, they look knackered.

“We were too slow too ponderous, it was a poor performance in a physical sense because we weren’t there. Grant and Taylor in the middle of the pitch just looked shot.

“This pre-season, all the games have been away, which going forward I don’t want to happen again. This week we’ve had to travel to three away games, it’s been a long old week for the boys and it has taken its toll.

“I’m glad pre-season is out of the way, the situation with Covid was changing this and that, even today was a doubt, so I’m just glad to get it out the the way and excited to get the season started.”

Posh travelled to Barnet last Saturday (July 24) as well as Oxford in midweek (July 27) before making the long trip to Fratton Park today.

Ferguson was, however, encouraged by the face Jack Marriott was able to get 57 minutes under his belt in his first pre-season match of the season. A fact that means he is unlikely to feature against Kings Lynn in the week (July 3).

He added: “It’s great to have him back; it’s the first time he’s played a game for me, I’ve tried for years.

“You know what he’s going to bring, he is a threat. The legs just went just a bit after half time because he didn’t have the sharpness.

“He’ll come on from that though and I’ll doubt he’ll play in midweek now and instead have a full week of training.”

Posh have one more pre-season fixture left, away at Kings Lynn on Tuesday, before they travel to Luton in the first game of the league season next Saturday.