POSH REACTION: Westley stays positive as Peterborough United's slump continues

Westley remained in a positive mood after Posh went down 3-1 at injury-hit Bury tonight (March 1). That’s a fifth straight League One defeat for Posh who are now 16th, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Westley blamed lapses in concentration for the latest reverse. Posh, who employed an unusual 3-4-2-1 formation at Gigg Lane, were the better side until conceding two goals in four first-half minutes.

Star man Marcus Maddison did pull a goal back for Posh early in the second-half, but a red card for defender Ricardo Santos was immediately followed by a third Bury goal 11 minutes from time.

Westley was however pleased with a lot of what he saw. He started the match with 17 year-old Leo Da Silva Lopes in midfield, one of six changes he made to the starting line-up.

“We dominated the start of the game, but two lapses in concentration in quick succession set us back,” Westley said.

“I was pleased with the reaction of the side in the second-half though. We got together at the break and we went out in a very determined fashion to try and get sosmething out of the game.

“The appetite of the team couldn’t be faulted. We passed the ball well, we got the ball to our dangerous players in good positions, but we just weren’t clinical again.

“At 2-1 I felt we would be the team to score the next goal. I was confident going into the final stages as Bury have conceded a lot of late goals, but another lapse in concentration led to a red card and ultimately a third goal.

“I felt for Rico as you add up his two offences and they were hardly worth a red, but that’s the way it’s going for us right now.

“It was a difficult evening for us, We played a lot of good football, but silly errors like hitting corners straight out of play and giving away foul throws hurt us. Those errors add up.

“There were positives though as Marcus Maddison is in exceptional form, Tom Nichols gave us his best display so far as he looked potent, and you won’t see many better displays from a 17 year-old than that delivered by Leo da Silva Lopes.

“We played with a maturity which suggests we are in a much better place than we were a couple of weeks ago.

“The players are still learning about each other and when we click, which we will, we will be a force in League One.

“There is so much young talent in the squad, but for now we have to look forward because you can’t keep harping on about what’s been and gone. We have to take responsibility for what we’ve been serving up and put it right.

“We will because we all work hard and the players are an honest bunch. Results might suggest we are not good at our jobs right now, but we will come back stronger.

“I feel for the fans as we’ve given them some amazing highs this season and now we’ve given them a ridiculous low.”

Things are not likely to get much better for Posh this Saturday (March 5) as they travel to in-form Wigan.