Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson is backing his star striker Jonson Clarke-Harris to put his Player of the Year award disappointment behind him, in comments given to the Peterborough Telegraph.
Clarke-Harris leads the way in the division with the most goals, scoring 25 this season from 44 appearances. He would, however, lose out on winning League One Player of the Year at the EFL awards that took place this Sunday.
Snubbed
Aaron Collins, who plays up front for Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers and has 16 goals to his name, would pick up the accolade instead. As a consequence, Clarke-Harris failed to win his second Player of the Year award for the division – originally picking up the accolade towards the end of the 2020-21 season, the same campaign Posh won automatic promotion up to the Championship.
Extra Motivation To Perform
Regardless of this snub, Peterborough’s captain and number nine will be motivated to perform to the best of his abilities in the final two games of the 46-game League One season. If he does just that, Darren Ferguson’s men could make a late surge into the playoff picture and taste promotion once more.
Why Did Aaron Collins Win?
Bristol Rovers’ Aaron Collins, it could be argued, was given this Player of the Year recognition over Clarke-Harris due to not just the goalscoring prowess Collins provides for The Gas but also the all-round contribution in terms of assists for his side – the 25-year-old notching up 12. Regardless of his personal breakout season, Bristol Rovers find themselves in a disappointing 16th spot in League One at the time of writing.
What Has Been Said?
Speaking with the Peterborough Telegraph, Darren Ferguson believes his star striker at Posh will shrug this awards snub off and fire more goals in to help his team battle it out for an elusive playoff position.
He said: “I wished Jonno all the best. We were all very hopeful he would win but unfortunately, he hasn’t.
“Last time he was in League One he won it, he was looking for back-to-back, I don’t think many have done that so.
“Collins is a very good player in his own right. I’m sure he’s disappointed but he’ll get over it and focus on trying to get us into the play-offs.”
Darren Ferguson did praise his number nine however for making the overall League One Team of the Season despite personal disappointment, the only player representing Posh in the selected eleven.
He said: “He thoroughly deserved his place in team of the season; he’s top goal scorer in the league. We’re delighted for him to get in.
“I’m sure there will be a tinge of disappointment there but he’ll get his head down and get on with it and if it’s any motivation that he needs to go and score some more goals until the end of the season then great.”
Writer’s View
Jonson Clarke-Harris is arguably the best striker in League One, he rarely fluffs his lines when it matters for Posh.
He will feel aggrieved not to pick up another Player of the Year award in the third tier, but that obvious disappointment at being snubbed won’t really matter to the 28-year-old attacker if Posh can secure an unlikely promotion.
If he goes on to score more important goals in the final two games, and then contributes even further if Posh make it into the lottery of the playoffs, he’ll take the adoration of the Peterborough United fanbase over recognition from the EFL awards.
