My Peterborough United team to tackle Cardiff City and comment on JJ, who should take Posh penalties, Bolu and ball boys

This one might well be remembered more fondly than the last given the recovery from an atrocious start which could yet yield a top half finish, given five of the last seven League One games are at London Road and the goal difference remains healthy for a team who have lost 19 of their 39 matches. Posh lost 21 games last season which is not what we expect from a club more used to battling at the other of the table.

It was also encouraging to see three key players back on the pitch, although the irony of two of them playing key roles in the 2-1 Good Friday loss at Luton Town isn’t lost on me. Get Matt Garbett back out there alongside Tom Lees, Harry Leonard and Ben Woods and Posh have a decent XI.

Other talking points from Luton 2, Posh 1…

1) JJ Morgan has now scored in his last five League One games for Posh. He’s closing in on that club record of Aaron Mclean’s who scored in seven games in a row at the back end of the 2006-07 season and the start of the following campaign. Jonson Clarke-Harris was the last Posh player to score in five consecutive matches in 2021, and he actually went on to score in six successive games, as did Dwight Gayle in 2012-23 and Terry Bly in the 1960s. Morgan needs goals against Cardiff, Blackpool and Port Vale to set a new club record and he’s certainly developed a knack for well-timed runs into the penalty area as he showed again at Kenilworth Road when converting Kyrell LIsbie’s delightful cross.

2) I wonder if Morgan will now become the Posh penalty taker? Harry Leonard has never struck me as convincing from the penalty spot and his weak effort at Luton was easily saved by home keeper Josh Keeley. That’s the second penalty Leonard has seen saved this season. Morgan would certainly be confident, but I can’t help thinking Harley Mills would be the best bet. He strikes a sweet dead ball. If David Kamara is on the pitch he has shown he takes an excellent penalty as well.

3) Leonard was rusty yesterday as you’d expect after a month on the sidelines, but the hour on the pitch would have done him good. He should get similar minutes on Easter Monday against Cardiff which should get him in prime form for the winnable game at Blackpool the following Saturday. It’s the same struggle for Tom Lees who was back after a six-week absence. He was deployed as the left centre-back for the first time this season and he didn’t look himself after his part in the opening Luton goal. He’d still be among my first picks though.

4) My team to face Cardiff City on Easter Monday would be….

4-2-3-1:

Bass

Kioso, Lees, Okagbue, Mills.

Collins, Woods.

Morgan

Hayes, Leonard, Lisbie.

Peter Kioso needs to return to right-back. He’s played manfully out of position at centre-back, but he and James Dornelly were exposed far too easily and far too regularly yesterday. Dornelly looks like a player in need of a breather, while the extra attacking dash of Kioso could come in handy if Posh have to play on the counter-attack against a Cardiff side who love to dominate the ball.

Posh have been best at the back this season when Lees and David Okagbue have been at the heart of the defence. I’d go back to that partnership on Monday. Okagbue added some much-needed power to the defence when he came on as a substitute yesterday.

And I’d start Ben Woods over Brandon Khela. Woods looked fit and strong when he came on and Posh started to pass the ball better.

I’m not convinced re Cian Hayes, but it would be asking a lot of 17 year-old Bolu Shofowoke to start against Cardiff, despite the promise, and speed, he showed when coming on after an hour at Kenilworth Road. He’d be on my bench again though.

5) The sudden burst of pace that sped Shofowoke past Luton defender Kal Naismith yesterday drew gasps of breath from Posh watchers. He’s still small, but he was tigerish and prepared to get stuck in. It was a promising half an hour and, until he enjoys a growth spurt, playing in the wing rather than centre-forward should suit him. The fact Shofowoke was sent on ahead of Declan Frith was quite telling, in more ways than one.

6) It’s been quite the fall for Luton Town. Back to back relegations and now sitting 11th in a low quality League One despite the considerable financial advantages parachute payments bring. I assume all the money has gone towards the new stadium as it’s a team of modest ability. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as Kenilworth Road is a tired old stadium. I’m hopeful the new ground will offer a decent view of both goals.

7) Even little kids are getting caught in the cynicism that comes naturally to professional footballers. The Posh videographer was seen acting as a ball boy towards the end of yesterday’s game because a lad on a stool sat motionless after the ball went out for a goal-kick. The Luton goalie just stood there as well until the ball was retrieved by someone there to do a different job. It was just another small sample of football getting sadder by the week.