Peterborough United chairman calls for players to shake off “imposter syndrome” as club looks to kick on after international break

MacAnthony has said that there is no technical reason why Posh can’t be a top half Championship side but suggested that what is holding them back is the players not believing that they are good enough.

On Saturday (November 5), Posh put in a very strong performance against second place Fulham, registering both more shots (12 to 11) and shots on target (5 to 4) than the high-flying visitors.

On his return to the starting line-up, Jonson Clarke-Harris hit the post twice, the second because of an excellent save from Marek Rodak in the Fulham goal, and Sammie Szmodics also spurned a couple of good opportunitie to get on the scoresheet.

Posh were eventually beaten when Aleksandar Mitrovic was left unmarked in the box to head home his 20th league goal of the season in the 74th minute. The result, if not the performance, was a source of great disappointment for Darren Ferguson’s side.

MacAnthony said: “I was so disappointed not to win. We played one of the best teams in the league and I thought we were the better team; we had the better chances.

“If the boys get over the imposter syndrome and realise how good they are then they are going to have a right chance in this league.

“Sammie and Jonno had four absolute guilt-edge chances between them, which is good news, we’ve got to keep creating chances. I thought we were strong and deserved a lot more than one point at home this week against two top of the league contenders.

“It’s going to be a good international break, we are going to get a lot of stuff done, we’re going to work on our away form, the confidence and the mental side of things with the boys because there is nothing wrong technically.

“We are more than good enough to be a top half team in this league and they have to start believing that and realising that they belong at this level because Fulham got the fright of their lives on Saturday. Brilliant fanbase, brilliant club but had to bring on a central defender with minutes to go to keep the 1-0, that’s how far we’ve come.”

When Posh return from the international break, they face back-to-back away trips to Stoke (November 20) and Blackburn (November 24) before hosting Barnsley in a crucial match.