Peterborough United’s defensive struggles persist as they suffer their fourth defeat of the season, losing 3-0 to Wigan Athletic, leaving manager Darren Ferguson frustrated.
Peterborough United fell to a 3-0 loss against Wigan Athletic, marking their fourth defeat of the season and extending their search for a clean sheet to 14 games. Wigan’s Dale Taylor was the standout performer, scoring twice and assisting Callum McManaman for the third goal. The result leaves Peterborough struggling to find consistency, while Wigan leapfrogs them in the standings and goalkeeper Sam Tickle secures his fifth clean sheet of the season.
The game saw Peterborough dominate possession and shots, but Wigan was far more clinical. Despite having fewer shots on target, Wigan made the most of their opportunities, converting three of their four attempts into goals. Peterborough, on the other hand, saw many of their chances blocked, and a missed close-range effort from Kwame Poku summed up the day’s frustrations for Darren Ferguson’s side.
After the match, Darren Ferguson did not mince words when speaking to the press. He expressed disappointment with his team’s defensive performance, particularly in the first half. “Losing 3-0 suggests you’ve been battered, but really in that first half, we battered them,” Ferguson said. “We’re just not giving ourselves a chance, we’re not giving ourselves a platform. The first two goals are really awful to concede… schoolboy stuff.”
Ferguson was particularly critical of the defensive errors that led to Wigan’s first two goals. He admitted that while the third goal, a moment of brilliance from Callum McManaman, was admirable, the ease with which Wigan scored their earlier goals was unacceptable. “When teams are scoring from four yards, with no contact against them, like their first goal, then fundamentally you have a problem,” Ferguson stated.
Despite the poor result, Ferguson remained hopeful that fans would keep faith in the team as they work through their struggles. He acknowledged the inexperience of the young backline but refused to use it as an excuse. “We’re better than that, we can’t keep conceding goals like that,” he said. “We’ve had 11 games now and we haven’t kept one clean sheet, so it’s staring you in the face really.”
Ferguson emphasized the need to maintain confidence and belief, both in the team and among supporters, as Peterborough navigates a challenging period. “It’s important I help them through this period. We need to keep the confidence, the belief, and keep working with them. It’s important the supporters help them as well,” he added.
Our View
Peterborough United is clearly feeling the effects of a summer of change. The departure of key defenders Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight, and Harrison Burrows has left a void, and the new defensive partnership is struggling to find its rhythm. While it’s understandable that this adjustment period would come with challenges, the ongoing defensive issues are costing Posh valuable points in a highly competitive league.
Peterborough’s upcoming match against Stevenage could be crucial. While Stevenage is one of the lower-scoring teams in the division, they are also one of the toughest to break down, having only conceded five goals all season. Peterborough’s attack, led by Kwame Poku, will need to step up and find the form they’ve shown in previous games if they hope to bounce back from this latest defeat and get their season back on track.
The defense must improve quickly, or Peterborough risks slipping further behind in the promotion race.
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