Peterborough United star is brave as well as brilliant says Darren Ferguson

Dembele bagged the first hat-trick of his professional career in yesterday’s (October 31) 5-1 win over Shrewsbury at the Weston Homes Stadium - he’d only ever scored twice in a game once before in his career for Grimsby in 2017.

But it’s also the way the 24 year-old responds to the battering he receives from outclassed opponents which has impressed his manager.

Shrews midfielder Josh Vela was shown a straight red card for a crude challenge on Dembele in first-half injury time.

“Siriki was brilliant today,” Ferguson stated. “But he’s also one of the bravest players I’ve managed. He gets butchered every week by opponents, but he takes it, gets back up and continues to carry the ball.

“The red card challenge today was disgraceful.

“Siriki provided some real quality. He made his first goal look easy, but it wasn’t. He made the first goal of the game with a great run and his third goal was also harder than he made it look. The run, the touch and the composure were all outstanding.

“He was absolutely fantastic.”