Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony: ‘It’s time to take the stabilisers off and learn fast, 11 games won’t determine the season, every confidence in players who need patience and more self-belief, standing by our recruitment’

Posh slipped to next-to-bottom after Saturday’s frustrating 3-2 home loss to Bristol City and MacAnthony, although he retains confidence in his side’s ability to pull clear of the relegation zone, insists there no longer a hiding place for a team who keep making the same mistakes.

In a message on his instagram account posted today (October 4). MacAnthony also said he stands by the club’s summer recruitment and he believes four points from the next two away games at Middlesbrough (October 16) and Hull (October 20) is a necessity after dropping points in the last two home games. He also praised the ‘magnificent’ Posh support.

“I was down over the weekend,” MacAnthony said. “We were excellent in an attacking sense against Bristol City, but not so good defensively. We flipped it around from the Bournemouth game (0-0) when we were excellent defensively and awful going forward.

“We need to pull it together now and get things right at the front and back. After dropping points in two home games we now need to take four points minimum from two away matches.

“The first 11 games will not determine the season, but we must take the stabilisers off and learn fast. We need to stop making the same mistakes. There is no hiding place now. We are shipping too many goals and we are still poor at set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.

“We are opening ourselves up to criticism. We need patience, but patience will wear thin if we keep making the same mistakes as that would be gross incompetence, but I know the manager and his staff will be grafting away to put things right and I believe they will.

“Fingers are being pointed at recruitment, but I live and die by it and we will be okay. We have not seen the best of some players yet and when they get up and running it will be exciting, but some like Sammie Szmodics and Siriki Dembele have already shown they belong at this level.

“Some have to show more belief as it’s those moments when they don’t that cause us to slip up. I believe they are good enough and I have every confidence they will step up.

“The Championship can be a sobering experience at times, but it’s an experience you want. There’s no better place to be other than the the promised land of the Premier League of course. We can’t forget the journey we’re on.

“Our fans have been magnicent. They’ve really stuck with us in the last two home matches and we will need them to stick with us.