Peterborough United boss Grant McCann believes the better side lost at Portsmouth and vows to improve away form

Posh lead early on thanks to a goal from Jack Marriott, but fell to a 2-1 defeat courtesy of two strikes from Ronnie Edwards’ U19 Euros winning teammate Dane Scarlett.

Posh played well in spells, but never really looked like scoring a second and have now lost their last four competitive away matches.

McCann’s side are still clinging onto a play-off place in sixth though ahead of two winnable-looking games at home to Forest Green and Fleetwood. They have dropped to sixth in the League One table, one place behind neighbours Cambridge United.

McCann said: “I thought the better team lost today; particularly judging off the first half. How we didn’t score any other goals I’ll never know. I felt we really should have scored again.

“The first they score is really disappointing as it’s just a sheer communication error in not getting out to the cross or to Scarlett.

“In the second half, it was just one of those games where we didn’t play forward enough like we did in the first half. We had a couple of half chances but it was a frustrating afternoon.

“We kept the ball well, didn’t hurt them too much and just became a bit predictable, but they didn’t hurt us too much either. The only thing in the game was one moment of quality.”

McCann insisted he is not worried about his team’s away form, given the quality of performances at Derby last weekend and now at Portsmouth.

He added: “It’s two defeats in a row now as far as I’m concerned, but they are two games we should definitely have got more points from. The league is all I’m interested in,

"We feel the momentum is still there. We’ve been to Derby and should have won and today there was nothing in the game.

“We are playing better than the away from suggests. You can see it - bar Plymouth- we’ve played well in moments in the games we’ve lost and it’s important that we bounce back from this.

“It’s a long season, we’re seven games in. We haven’t started our away form well, but we will improve and get better for sure.”