Peterborough United 'man-of-the-match' gets stick from the fans to the frustration of Darragh MacAnthony

Jack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.comJack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.com
Jack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.com
Peterborough United Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony has expressed frustration after defender Jack Sparkes was attacked on social media after winning a man-of-the-match nomination.

The 23 year-old created a goal and delivered his best performance since moving to London Road from Portsmouth in the summer as Posh beat Bristol Rovers 3-2 in a League One game last weekend.

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But the results of a man-of-the-match poll on social media, topped by Sparkes, led to a surprising backlash which prompted the left-back to deactivate his account on X.

"I’ve always said fans have a right to express an opinion,” MacAnthony said on the latest edition of his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast. “But please use a bit of decorum and common sense especially when talking about young players who have only just come to the club.

Jack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.comJack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.com
Jack Sparkes in action for Posh. Photo Joe Dent/theposh.com

"It happens, but remember last season when some were having a go at Harrison Burrows and he ended up as the best player in League One. You can look silly.

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"Jack wasn’t fully up to speed when he got here. He would be the first to admit he can improve on his defensive performances, but he is getting there gradually. He has tremendous ability which he showed by setting up a goal on Saturday and when he would have set up another one, but for us missing a great chance.

"He played well on Saturday. I wouldn’t have made him man of the match as that was Ricky-Jade Jones for me, but Jack was good. Don’t forget he’s come into a completely different way of playing this season and that’s not a dig at Portsmouth.

"He would have gone on social media and seen his man-of-the-match award, but a good moment was probably turned into him thinking ‘oh my god, my fanbase don’t like me after four games or so’. Fans tagged him into the conversation just to have a moan.

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"There are big expectations at this club. We are expected to challenge Birmingham and Huddersfield for promotion and we are expected to entertain, but the players who have come in need help from me, the management and from the fans.

"Trust me we have a genuine set of lads in our dressing room. They are all grafters. None of them will step onto the pitch and set out to have a bad game.”

More Posh on pages 81-87