Peterborough United manager rages at unacceptable defending and poor decision-making, and the referee gets some stick as well

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson slammed some ‘unacceptable defending’ and ‘really bad decision-making’ for today’s (November 2) 4-3 League One defeat at Blackpool.
Ivan Toney of Peterborough United scores to make it 2-2  at Blackpool. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.Ivan Toney of Peterborough United scores to make it 2-2  at Blackpool. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.
Ivan Toney of Peterborough United scores to make it 2-2 at Blackpool. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

Ferguson also pointed to two howlers by rookie referee James Oldham as Posh slipped to just a second defeat in 14 League One games, but he insisted the buck must stop with his players.

Posh conceded two own goals through Niall Mason and Dan Butler, but held on to third spot in the table ahead of Tuesday’s (November 5) trip to Shrewsbury.

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Posh felt the penalty conceded by Mark Beevers was a poor decision and Ivan Toney’s second-half ‘goal’ was wrongly disallowed for handball.

Toney, Mo Eisa and Marcus Maddison (penalty) claimed the Posh goals.

“You can’t score three goals and lose a game,” Ferguson moaned. “It doesn’t matter what work you do on the training ground and what plans you have, if you let the sort of goals in that we did today. They were incredibly poor goals to let in.

“The first and the fourth goals are unacceptable and the second one was really soft as well. They haven’t had to work hard for their goals.

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“The first one was straight out of their goalkeeper’s hands and the fourth one came from our corner.

“Conceding goals like that meant we got no rhythm to the play. We never had a foothold in the game.

Blackpool started well, but Mo scored a great goal to get us in front and we started to control the game just before they equalised.

“Goals change games and that one did. It’s part of a problem that we have to solve quickly. We changed the system slightly at half-time and then again for the last part of the game and that’s something I’m having to do too often. We never kept the ball well enough to be able to control the game.

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“I said to the players that first and foremost it’s our fault we lost. We cannot hide behind the fact that their penalty was a shocking decision and that Ivan Toney chested the ball into the net. There was no handball.

Referees have to get those decisions right, but he gave them both too quckly and they have cost us.

“I did think at 3-3 we would go on and win, but we conceded an awful goal straight away.

“We’ve had a disappointing day, but we are still not in bad shape. There will be bumps in the road. We will lose games, but it’s how you react that matters and I expect a reaction at Shrewsbury.”