Grant McCann calls on his Peterborough United side to be more cute and clever after missed opportunities lead to Fleetwood defeat

Peterborough United Manager Grant McCann gives out instructions to his players during a break-in play.

Posh lost 1-0 courtesy of a Josh Vela goal which saw him smash home a fierce drive after Lucas Bergstrom had done brilliantly to make a double save from Carlos Mendes-Gomes.

McCann was left frustrated by his side’s lack of a cutting edge and how they did not make more of the openings they did have.

McCann said: “It’s hugely frustrating. We don’t want to lose any games here against anyone. We feel as if we had opportunities to win the game. We put lots of balls in the box, had lots of final third entries, but then go and concede a disappointing goal.

“We responded well though and were the much better team in the first half and continued to create some very good opportunities, which we did not take.

“The most frustrating part was that we had a lot of opportunities and it fizzled out or they got a block in. We need to be better than that. We weren’t clever enough or cute enough to find a different angle to find a finish or get a shot off.”

Posh’s best chance fell to Jack Marriott at 0-0 but he blasted the ball over the bar when in one-on-one. He also miscontrolled a dropping ball when he looked to be in again right on the stroke of half time.

McCann did not seem worried by his team’s poor finishing.

McCann added: “That’s only the second (league) game we’ve not scored in. We didn’t deserve to score against Plymouth, but we did here tonight. We had huge opportunities all through the night, but we’ve also got lots to improve on.”

“Jack is usually deadly in those situations (the one-on-one) and he’s had another one on the stroke of halftime where he’s through and miscontrolled it. Over the years Jack Marriott has been clinical, but unfortunately tonight, he’s not taken his chances. It wasn’t just Jack though as we had numerous opportunities we didn’t take.”

Posh still sit seventh in the table, just one place behind Cambridge, who lost at Cheltenham, in the final play-off place, but did lose ground to Ipswich, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton, who all won.

Posh travel to Bolton, who won 2-0 away at MK Dons on Tuesday, at the weekend.