Darren Ferguson bemoans Peterborough’s lack of cutting edge at Port Vale
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2023 by PA
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson believes his side need to be more ruthless despite extending their unbeaten run in League One to eight matches with a 1-0 victory at Port Vale.
The only goal of the game came in the 14th minute when Connor Ripley failed to keep out Ephron Mason-Clark’s back-post header from Kwame Poku’s cross.
Posh had plenty of chances to put the game to bed thereafter, but ultimately had to battle hard to see the win out.
“It was a very good result,” Ferguson said.
“These are the sort of results that you need to get away from home on a Tuesday night, and sometimes you have to just dig it out and we did that tonight.
“We should not have had to with the amount of opportunities we had, but we did.
“Some decision-making let us down in the top end of the pitch attacking wise, but defensively we were very solid – the goalkeeper was very solid, and the two centre-halves were outstanding.”
Ripley produced a superb double save in first half added time – firstly denying Joel Randall and then Ricky-Jade Jones – to keep the deficit to one going into the break.
The Vale goalkeeper had to be alert again to thwart Poku when one-on-one just before the hour mark.
“We should not be having to hang on, if you want to call it that, because the two chances – Joel’s and Ricky’s – one’s got to go in, it’s from six yards,” Ferguson added.
“And then in the second half, I mean some of the decision-making, we’ve got to be better in our decision-making.
“The players know that, but credit to the defenders in particular.”
The hosts threatened to equalise in the 67th minute as substitute James Plant’s goal-bound effort was blocked superbly by Ronnie Edwards on the line, but that was as close as they came.
Boss Andy Crosby feels his team, who are now without a win in seven league games, are lacking a cutting edge.
“We showed the effort, the application, the commitment – we went right to the end,” he said.
“We’ve played one of the top teams in the division with a real attacking threat, a real attacking presence.
“We go behind early in the game and they dominate the early periods, but we change the shape, we then press with a bit more intensity and turn a few balls over.
“And we seem to be saying the same thing when we get into the final third – we’re not executing the finish, the cross.
“But the effort and the commitment to keep going, to not feel sorry for yourself (was there), and that’s what you’ve got to do.
“I’ve said just now we’ve got two choices – we either start feeling sorry for ourselves and we splinter as a group.
“But I’m 100 per cent sure that’s not going to happen. I look at the lads and they’re giving absolutely everything for the cause.”
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