Young Peterborough United side make EFL Trophy progress but fail to shine

With qualification already secured, this was a chance for Posh’s young and fringe players to prove that they are ready to step in when required.

For the majority, this was a chance wasted as Posh were slow, ponderous and lacking in intent in a 1-0 defeat away at Colchester.

Teenagers Harley Mills and James Dornelly will leave with their held high but for the rest of the side, they may have to wait some time for their next opportunity to prove their worth to the Posh boss.

Posh had just one shot in the first half and even after conceding to Brad Ihionvein on the stroke of half time, courtesy of a poor mistake from Fynn Talley, failed to inject any kind of urgency in the second half.

They did not need a goal of course and will move into the knockout stages as group winners along with Colchester but this game was about more than the result and will leave Posh fans less than enthused with the club’s back-up boys.

Darren Ferguson shuffled his pack by making seven changes from the line-up that started the marathon victory at Salford last Tuesday night.

Youngsters Harley Mills and Donay O’Brien-Brady were handed their first starts for the club, while both Jeando Fuchs and Malik Mothersille made their returns from injury, although the former had been out for significantly longer having been out with a thigh injury since August.

Fuchs looked strong in his pre-planned 45 minutes before being replaced at the break by Charlie O’Connell. The impressive Mills was replaced after 67 minutes by Will Van Lier for a senior debut for the 19-year-old midfielder.

Posh started the game on the front foot and were asking questions straight away through Zak Sturge on the left, employed further up the field as an out-and-out winger.

They registered a shot on target in the third minute when Ryan De Havilland tried a speculative shot from more than 30 yards out. Tom Smith had to dive to his right to push it away.

As it turned out, that was their only effort at goal in a limp first half that lacked any kind of tempo. The hosts largely controlled the ball without creating much themselves.

Out of the blue after 35 minutes of very little, they should have taken the lead when a simple straight ball from Noah Chilvers caught out Emmanuel Fernandez and Romoney Crichlow and he was in on goal. What followed was a weak first effort easily saved by Talley and an uncontrolled swing that should have been buried past Talley but barely reached him.

With less than five minutes to go in the half, an equally innocuous cross was sent into the box only for last week’s penalty hero to spill the ball, under no pressure, right to Ihionvien for him to smash home from just inside the box.

In the second half, it initially looked as if Posh had been roused by the manager as Mills sent in a couple of dangerous balls but Posh soon fell back into their pattern of a painfully slow tempo, with very little cutting edge.

Despite the control, a flurry of chances did not follow but Posh should have been level just after the hour when Mills played an inch perfect ball into the box for the arriving Malik Mothersille but the forward, on his return from injury, could only smack the post from a few yards out.

That was a glorious chance that went begging but not as bad at the one in stoppage time when Zak Sturge sent a deep ball into the box from a short corner; the ball bobbled around before falling perfectly to Fernandez right in the centre of goal, just a few yards out but he contrived to inexplicably fire wide to rather sum up the night for Posh.

Posh: Fynn Talley, Harley Mills (sub Will Van Lier 67 mins), Emmanuel Fernandez, Romoney Crichlow, James Dornelly, Ryan De Havilland, Jeando Fuchs (sub Charlie O'Connell, 45 mins), Donay O'Brien-Brady (sub Kai Corbett, 57 mins), Zak Sturge, David Ajiboye, Malik Mothersille

Not used: Jake West, Tom Unwin, Joe Davies, Luke Gilbert

Colchester: Tom Smith, Will Greenidge, Fiarce Kelleher (sub Frankie Terry, 70 mins), Zach Mitchell, Mandela Egbo (sub Donnell Thomas, 76 mins), Chay Cooper, Arthur Read (sub Cam McGeeham, 45 mins) Noah Chilvers (sub Gene Kennedy, 70 mins), Jay Mingi (sub Jayden Fevrier, 42 mins), Brad Ihionvien, Tom Hopper

Not used: Owen Goodman, Ronny Nelson.

Goals: Colchester – Brad Ihionvien (42 mins)

Bookings: Colchester – Kennedy (foul)

Posh – Crichlow (foul), Van Lier (foul)

Att: 802 (205 Posh)

Ref: Craig Hicks