Peterborough United boss concerned his side are becoming slow starters after defeat at Doncaster

The Posh boss has been disappointed by the first half performances against both Stevenage and Doncaster in the last five days, with his side losing both games by a single goal.

Posh were caught out at the back twice at the Eco Power Stadium and fell 2-0 down at the break to a side who had not won in 10 League One matches. Substitute Harry Leonard’s second half strike was not enough for Posh, who had left themselves too much to do to get back into the game.

Williams brought Matt Garbett and Brandon Khela into the starting line-up in place of Leonard and Abraham Odoh. Leonard, along with Declan Frith, made a positive impact on the game after being introduced at half time, but Williams did not accept that the poor start was solely down to the initial team selection which also saw Jimmy-Jay Morgan start as a sole striker.

Williams said: “We played without assertion in the first half and we weren’t in the game. We didn’t compete and it was too easy to take the ball from us. We didn’t deserve anything at all from the first 45 minutes, The second half was a much better performance, but we gave ourselves far too much to do.

“We have to be able to start games in a much better way then we have in the last two. It has not been right. We have not been in the right frame of mind.

“If you start games poorly and go a goal down then you have got a tough job and if you go two down, it’s really tough. If the opposition want to then slow the game down, it’s their prerogative.

“The opposition were really smart to slow the game down and not allow us to get our intensity going. We made too many unforced fouls, which enabled the game to be broken up we made too many wrong decisions. There was a much better intensity in our work in the second half.

“We were pushing in the second half to get back on terms. There was some counter attacks and you have to expect that. It’s impossible to tiptoe back into the game at 2-0 down. You have to kick the doors down to try and get back on terms.

“It is not fair to say that two players were the problem. Jimmy-Jay was man of the match a couple of games ago and has put in some fantastic performances. He wasn’t responsible for a bad first half.

“Brandon was playing out of position but we have seen him come off the bench and do well there. He has great energy and he’ll play in any position. The entire team was off the pace. The substitutions were to give fresh energy and people that weren’t out there in the first half have got a different frame of mind to those that were. They did a pretty good job.

“Some of the qualities Declan showed today are what we don’t have anywhere else in the squad. He’s explosive and has a change of direction. He’s got the power and technique. It is great to get so many minutes into him today.

“I still need to learn about the players more thoroughly. The team are still in a bad place, like when I arrived, and there are issues there. I need to see which players will be able to push us forward and find out what the best combinations are.”

Posh are next in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Luke Williams’ first club in management, Swindon Town, in the Last 32 of the Vertu Trophy. ‘The Robins’ are just a point off top spot in League Two.