Peterborough United's attack was too quick and too powerful admits Crawley Town boss
Crawley Town manager Rob Elliott admitted the pace and power of the Peterborough United forward line ultimately proved too much for his side in a League One game at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday.
Posh won a ding-dong clash 4-3 to move up to 13th in League One, seven points off the play-off places and five points clear of the bottom four. Crawley stayed fourth from bottom despite playing a full part in a thrilling contest.
Posh led 2-0 and 3-1 before Crawley dragged themselves level with two quickfire goals in the second-half, but Cian Hayes promptly scored the second of his two goals to seal a first League One win in four games for the home side.
Crawley pipped Posh in the possession stakes, a rarity in a game involving Darren Ferguson’s side this season,
"We started the game really well,” Elliott told his club media team. “We pressed well, won turnovers and got in behind them, but we lost momentum when they scored the first goal. We became a little unstable, but we showed great character to get back into the game. We dominated possession for long periods, we hurt them and we were a constant threat, but keeping this Peterborough attack at bay is one of the hardest tasks in League One.
"Their pace and power up top caught us out too often. It wasn’t just they scored four as they had other chances as well and our goalkeeper has made a couple of great saves. We’re disappointed because three of the four goals we conceded were our fault though. We showed naivety at times. We got it right against them for 75% of the time, but if you switch off against players of that quality they will hurt you.
"They are a good side with so much energy and speed out wide, but our fans saw a side giving everything and playing pretty well and that pleased me.”