LEAGUE ONE. SATURDAY 18th FEBRUARY 2023.
Bish, Bash Posh – Again.
A second football manager in a row called Ferguson brought his team to the Mazuma Stadium for a League One encounter today. Last time, Big Dunc brought his bottom-of-the-table Forest Green team to frustrate Morecambe for ninety minutes and leave with a well-earned point. Today, Fergie Junior in the shape of Darren Ferguson arrived in search of a first win in three games. Darren has been Manager of Posh more times than even he can probably remember. He took up the mantle for a fourth time after Grant McCann was sacked by the club last month in a situation where United were ninth in League One (the same position they occupied before today’s match) but had only won one league game in their previous seven. Since then, Mr Ferguson oversaw three wins in his first three matches. But the wheels well and truly fell off as Bolton visited Cambridgeshire a week ago: the appalling Ian Evatt’s men won by five goals to nil. Last Tuesday, Posh lost again by the only goal of the game just down the road at Fleetwood. So the new Manager would be looking for a change in fortunes today. History would be no guide as to what was likely to happen this afternoon: in three past encounters with the Shrimps, Peterborough have won one; drawn one and lost one. But their only win was last August at London Road in the reverse fixture, where Grant McCann’s team won easily by three goals to nil.
Prior to kick-off, Duncan Ferguson had the following to say about today’s opponents:
“It’s strange the way their results have gone. Their home form has been really strong, probably one of the strongest in the league. It’s going to be another tough game, we know that. Morecambe’s home form has been very good this season and they have had three or four away games against some of the top sides in this division in recent weeks. We know it will be tough. For us, we were really good on Tuesday night up until the final third. It is about being ruthless in both boxes. We have been working a lot on that this week.”
Morecambe started the game in twenty-first place in League One. They have lost three of their last five League One matches and won only one. Before the game, King Derek said this about today’s opposition:
“Darren Ferguson has taken over. I went to watch his first game away to Port Vale where they did very well and won. They recruit well; they spend money but they recruit players from lower divisions. They analyse them and then sell them on for a higher margin. But they not only do that, they actually get themselves good players that will take them to the Championship or into the Play-Offs this season: that’s what they’re hoping to do. That’s why Darren’s there.”
It has been wet in north Lancashire for the last few days. Today, the floodlights were on early at the Mazuma Stadium and the match was played under leaden skies as thin rain fell sporadically from the greyness above. Morecambe put in a performance right from the off which perfectly complemented the weather: grim. Derek Adams chose a surprising line-up today. Dynel Simeu lost his place in the first team but Arthur Gnahoua was on right from the start of the game. Why? Having Arthur in the team is the equivalent of playing with only ten men – he was hopeless again today. But he wasn’t alone – far from it…
Posh took control right from kick-off and had forced about five corners (to the Shrimps’ none) before they were awarded a free-kick in the ninth minute which Jonson Clarke-Harris struck into the defensive wall. The visitors then took the lead in the twelfth minute. Josh Taylor picked-up the ball about thirty yards from goal and took a speculative shot which struck the unfortunate Farrend Rawson’s head and was deflected past a flat-footed Connor Ripley in the home goal. Ten minutes later, Referee Darren Handley awarded a harsh free-kick on the left hand edge of the Morecambe penalty area from United’s point of view. Joe Ward took it and struck a weakish shot straight at the home goalkeeper. But – somehow or other – Connor allowed the ball to go right through him and Posh were two goals to the good. With just twenty-eight minutes on the clock, United were three-up. This time, Kwame Poku tried his luck with a shot which was also deflected – this time by Jacob Bedeau past a wrong-footed goalkeeper.
Deflections and deflations so far – with less than half an hour played, Peterborough were already three goals up in front of a crowd which was as silent as the grave.
The mood never lifted. There’s not a lot to add to what happened during the last hour of the game. Posh took their collective foot off the gas with a job already clearly Well Done. Rawson headed against Will Norris’ right hand post almost at ground level with the away goalkeeper a bystander just before the end of the first half. Straight after this, Norris did well to push a fierce strike from Liam Shaw over the bar for a corner. And that was as near as Morecambe came to scoring all afternoon.
During the second half, Ripley redeemed himself to some extent with tremendous saves from Taylor after 63 minutes and Nathanael Ogbeta with only five minutes still scheduled to play. At the other end, Shaw headed Adam Mayor’s corner over the bar when it seemed easier to score after almost an hour. Then an unmarked Rawson wasted a similarly good chance when he also contrived to miss the target from close-in with a header after 65 minutes had been played. And that was your lot: the visiting goalkeeper didn’t actually have even one effort on goal to deal with throughout the second period.
Morecambe were hopeless today and United went home with a double over them without really ever having to get out of first gear. Despite the three points, Posh remained ninth in League One at the end of proceedings this afternoon. For Morecambe, things went from bad to worse off the field. Cambridge United beat Oxford United 1-0 at the Abbey Stadium; Burton won 1-2 at rapidly faltering Bristol Rovers and Accrington Stan beat Shrewsbury 1-0. So Morecambe slumped to next to bottom of the table as a result. If they continue to play like they did today, they will stay there. The only good news from elsewhere was that the Plastic People from Milton Keynes were soundly beaten 5-2 by Sheffield Wednesday; FGR were annihilated at Ipswich, 4-0 and Cheltenham lost by the same score at home against Barnsley.
As always, Derek Adams accentuated what few positives there were in his appraisal of today’s lacklustre performance after the game:
“They’ve had a bit of a break of the ball three times today and they’ve got three goals. And we haven’t had a break this afternoon.”
Morecambe: 1 Connor Ripley (C); 4 Liam Gibson; 5 Farrend Rawson; 8 Daniel Crowley; 9 Cole Stockton; 14 Arthur Gnahoua (11 Michael Mellon 71’); 15 Jensen Weir (7 Jake Taylor; 72’) 16 Jacob Bedeau (Y); 20 Liam Shaw (22 Josh Austerfield 72’); 21 Ryan Cooney; 25 Adam Mayor.
Subs not used: 12 Adam Smith; 2 Donald Love; 6 Ryan Delaney; 29 Dynel Simeu.
Peterborough United: 1 Will Norris; 4 Ronnie Edwards; 5 Josh Knight; 8 Jack Taylor; 9 Jonson Clarke-Harris (C); 10 Ephron Mason-Clark; 11 Kwame Poku (24 Ben Thompson 61’); 15 Nathanael Ogbeta; 16 Harrison Burrows (3 Dan Butler 75’); 22 Hector Kyprianou (Y) (7 Jeando Fuchs; 45’); 23 Joe Ward.
Subs not used: 6 Frankie Kent; 26 Joel Randall; 28 Will Blackmore; 39 Kabongo Tshimanga.
Ref: Darren Handley.
Att: 4,172 (458 from Peterborough).
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