Darren Ferguson was a frustrated figure after Peterborough United fell to the fourth defeat of the season.
Posh were well-beaten by Wigan Athletic, with Dale Taylor contributing a brace and an assist for Callum McManaman to secure all three points for the at-home Latics. It extended Peterborough’s search for a clean sheet to 14 games, having last shut out an opponent against Bristol Rovers last season.
Shaun Maloney’s side finally ended their goalless draw streak in emphatic style in Lancashire, leapfrogging United in the process. It also gave Sam Tickle his fifth clean sheet of the season, keeping Wigan joint-top of the defensive charts with Stevenage.
Speaking to the press following the defeat, Darren Ferguson did not hold back on his assessment of the performance. He said (Quotes Via Wigan Today): “I’m disappointed, as you would expect. Losing 3-0 suggests you’ve been battered, but really in that first half we battered them.
“We’re just not giving ourselves a chance, we’re not giving ourselves a platform. The first two goals are really, really awful goals to concede…schoolboy stuff.
“If teams are playing through us, or coming up with brilliance like the third goal – and Callum McManaman has always had that – then you hold your hands up and admire the quality.
“But when teams are scoring from four yards, with no contact against them, like their first goal, then fundamentally you have a problem.”
Peterborough did have the majority of possession and shots throughout the game, but it was Wigan who converted their chances better, scoring three of the four shots they recorded on target. Ferguson’s men had a majority of their chances blocked, but it was a Kwame Poku missed chance to score from point-blank range which summed up the attack’s day.
Ferguson did hope that the fans would keep faith with his side despite the results, adding: “I know we have a young back four, but that’s not an excuse, I’m not one for making excuses.
“We’re better than that, we can’t keep conceding goals like that. We’ve had 11 games now and we haven’t kept one clean sheet, so it’s staring you in the face really.
“It’s important the supporters help them as well. We are going through a little bit of a tough spell defensively and we need to sort that out.”
Writer’s View
Peterborough United have had a summer of change with the losses of Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight and Harrison Burrows. It is understandable that their new defensive partnership would take some time to adapt but with the pace the teams at the top are setting, the goals being conceded and results overall are costing Posh dearly as they slip further behind.
Fortunately, they do play one of the lower-scoring teams in the division next in Stevenage, who come off the back of a very good display against Wrexham. They are however one of the hardest to beat, only conceding five times. It will be up to Kwame Poku and the rest of the Peterborough attack to redeem themselves from this latest poor showing and return to the form they have shown in front of goal for a majority of the campaign.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
