Peterborough United boss rues 'missed opportunity' in Leyton Orient defeat due to wasteful play in the final third

Posh were beaten 2-1 at Brisbane Road despite a late goal from Jimmy-Jay Morgan.

Posh remain in 14th place with an eight point gap to the bottom four, but many of the teams in between closed in with wins for Wigan, Doncaster and Burton Albion as well as Orient.

Williams was disappointed with his side’s wasteful play in the final third, especially when he felt his side was playing well in the first half.

Williams said: “We were a pretty good side in the first half, but did not make anywhere near enough of the final third entries that we had. We didn’t make the final pass and that was disappointing. We had good openings and didn’t create enough. We were very, very wasteful.

“We then made the biggest sin. We fell asleep at the back just before the end of the half and we were then chasing the game, which was very disappointing. We really wasted a good opportunity in that half because we played so well at times.

“We got to the final third lots of times, but then took so many touches instead of making deliveries into the box. It is so hard to score when you play football to get to the final third and then just dribble around and take touches and be scruffy.

“We have two guys on the wings who are from this neck of the woods and maybe had half the stand full of their own fans and maybe wanted an extra few touches to show how good they are.

“They have been fantastic at delivering balls into the box and attacking the ball from the far side, but today we just took too many touches and we didn’t make the clinical box entries.

“We then switched off for their first goal. We were not on the front shoulder to block the first contact and you’re asking for trouble if you do that. If they get to the ball first, as long as he gets good contact, it ends up in the back of the net and that’s exactly what happened.

“We then started to lose our composure and chased it a lot, which is understandable. That wasn’t a good strategy for us and caused us more pain.

“They then hit us on the break for the second. We didn’t block the shot, which was disappointing. There was an opportunity to stand up and block it before it reaches the back of the net. We were pushing a lot for the equaliser and we paid the price.

“We threw everything forward to try and get back on terms, but we made too many errors in the middle of the pitch and when we got to the final third, there was not enough quality in the cross or first contacts. We were lacking today.

“When we did score, it was a fantastic delivery and we attacked the middle of the goal. It was an excellent striker’s goal from Jimmy and a great delivery from Archie Collins.

“We have got what we’ve got and I’m delighted with the squad. I just have to back them. There are times when I feel that game is not correct for some of the guys to get into. Sometimes it feels quite open and like we don’t have a foothold and that’s a very difficult situation to bring an inexperienced player into.

"At other times, that youthfulness gives us the energy and enthusiasm we need. It is what it is and I’m happy I have the opportunity to help this group win some more games.”

Posh face a big game on Tuesday night (March 17, 7:45pm) as they seek to avoid being sucked into the relegation battle. Posh host 22nd placed Rotherham, who are currently five points from safety. The Millers were 2-0 up at home against Bolton on Saturday but were pegged back to 2-2 in the second half.