POSH REACTION: Nine goals, six points, no wonder McCann has enjoyed his time as Peterborough United manager
Posh blitzed Blackpool 5-1 in their final League One match of the season at the ABAX Stadium, a result that confirmed back-to-back relegations for the Seasiders. It also meant Posh scored nine goals in two games under McCann, following a 4-3 win at Shrewsbury the previous weekend (April 30).
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Hide AdPosh have finished 13th in the division, but five second-half goals - including a 12-minute hat-trick from substitute Jon Taylor - meant McCann’s men finished the season as joint-top scorers, alongside champions Wigan, with 82 goals.
McCann will now meet with chairman Darragh MacAnthony in the next couple of days for an end-of-season de-brief, as well as to have a conversation about his own future.
McCann still refuseds to publicly confirm or deny his interest in succeeding Graham Westley as Posh manager. One potential rival for the job, Steve Evans, watched the game from the Posh directors box.
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Hide Ad“I honestly haven’t made my mind up,” McCann stated. “The chairman us over tomorrow (May 9) I believe so I guess I will speak to him and then things will become clearer. “I’ve enjoyed being in charge, but then I knew I would. I’ve worked towards becoming a manager for the last decade or so. I always had one eye on a coaching job even when I was in the middle of my playing career.
“It helps when you get days like this one. We were not very good at all in the first-half when we performed in a very lackadaisical fashion, like it was a pre-season friendly. We didn’t seem to realise until half-time how big a game this was for Blackpool and we failed to match their energy or commitment.
“But we switched things around at half-time and the response was excellent, It was a great second-half display. We played Lee Angol and Shaquile Coulthirst closer together and further forward, and we let Marcus Maddison roam all over the field which troubled Blackpool.
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Hide Ad“I was pleased for Jon Taylor. He’s had an excellent season and he’s finished with 13 goals which is a best for him. Decisions that turn out like this are lucky. I expected his energy to give us a great lift, but he made a bigger difference than I thought he would.
“I told him to go and score the winning goal for the second week running, but I didn’t expect him to score three!
“We controlled the game in the second-half, scored some great goals and played some great football. The chairman wants to see that, but then so do I. It’s what I’ve come to expect in my six years at the club.
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Hide Ad“I told the players at half-time to get the London Road End behind us. The fans can make a big difference and they did again here.”
Long-serving centre-back Gaby Zakuani’s expected farewell appearance didn’t go as planned. He limped off midway through the game after jarring his knee. Zakuani is now out of contract and has not been offered a new one.