Post-Match Thread and Ratings Peterboro 1-4 Southend United

[TheGoat]

I remember when we played Bradford before christmas and played them off the park at the Hall. Think it was a 3-0 win. We were lower mid table at that time and they were in the playoffs. To see us go above them in the table tonight shows what an amazing job Brown has done this season, especially considering our start. His signings this year have been immense and his management is getting incredible form out of players like Fortune and Thompson. Going to be an interesting end of the season I think!

 

[Harry Bullocks]

In PB we trust

 

[Crowstone Crevette]

I remember when we played Bradford before christmas and played them off the park at the Hall. Think it was a 3-0 win. We were lower mid table at that time and they were in the playoffs. To see us go above them in the table tonight shows what an amazing job Brown has done this season, especially considering our start. His signings this year have been immense and his management is getting incredible form out of players like Fortune and Thompson. Going to be an interesting end of the season I think!

Perhaps some acknowledgement from the 'terraces' at the next home game wouldn't go amiss! :omg:

 

[ChicagoShrimper]

As much as it pains me to say, some praise needs to go to Ron for providing the financial backing to get these good players in.

 

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

Fortune MOM, just immense. Tims ran everywhere, Lenny was a massive influence on the game and the back line were solid. Posh were woeful but prob a good time to play them as they had two key players suspended. Us Shrimpers in the stand were noisy, and quite an impressive range of songs. This was just my second away game this season with the other being the 4-1 win at Bury, got tickets for the next 4-1 win on Saturday. UTB

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

That was an entertaining game of football. You can only beat the team in front of you so saying that Posh were poor should not take away from how we played at times.

Right from the start we looked to be confident and "up for it" but as the half wore on I did begin to wonder if perhaps the Gods would not be smiling on us - shots were going close or Posh made last second blocks, the ball had hit the post then the goalie before being hooked out, Lenny somehow got the ball under his feet right on the line when a goal seemed certain and attempts to walk the ball into the net were entertaining but not bearing fruit. Right on half time the ball span along the goal line before being collected by the Posh goalie and my concerns were confirmed. Hold on a minute - the linesman on the far side is doing an impersonation of a stranded sailor attempting to get the attention of a passing ship.

End result - a goal is given although general consensus at half time is that the ball did not cross the line.

And then on to the second half. Posh were getting much tighter in the midfield and for the first 10 minutes of the half our passing game went out of the window for a while. But then "normal service" was resumed with two excellent goals.

Cruising at 3-0 nil, a fabulous move down the right ended up with Robinson needing to simply stroke the ball into the net to make the score line reflect the game. The goalie saved and along with our substitutions and a "we have this game won" approach leads to Posh's brightest spell and an unlikely goal. A few minutes later and Ted gets a slight touch to a ball that bounces up and hits the bar and goes out. Where did that come from?

Still, no matter - we go up the other end and Tims sticks the ball in the white net.

On balance of the game a 5-0 win would not have flattered us bearing in mind all the other chances during the game.

Cox was booked for going for a 49-51 ball and then looking aghast at the ref but there were no dirty tackles during the whole game.

My man of the match: Contenders include Fortune, Cox, Inniss, Thompson but Lenny just gets it for me.

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

Just driven the 35 miles home from the first match I've managed to get to this season. I must say that I was very impressed with our performance. From the very start we played like the home team, constantly seeking to take the game to the opposition and playing some imaginative passing football. We totally bossed the first half and restricted Peterborough largely to shooting from outside the box either wide or straight at Ted Smith. However, we struggled to make the final killer pass count in the opposition box that would turn our superiority into goals. We have to thank the linesman with the yellow flag for awarding us our first goal in first-half time added on. I was sitting level with the 6-yard line and wasn't sure if the whole of the ball had crossed the line. Another one of our away supporters who was sitting level with the goal line was fairly certain that the whole of the ball had not crossed the line. After some of the dubious refereeing decisions that have apparently gone against us recently, I guess we deserved one that went in our favour.

Peterborough came out a bit more positively in the second half but we were rarely ruffled until the last 15 minutes when we could easily have conceded more than the one goal that we let in. As it turned out, individual mistakes in that period did not prove too costly and we managed to get back into our comfort zone with Timlin's added-time goal.

Smith didn't fill me with confidence in some of the things he did. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned but I do dislike goalkeepers punching away shots and crosses that they should reasonably be catching. Twice in the second half he punched away shots that he could have caught straight to Peterborough players just outside the penalty area, enabling them to threaten his goal again immediately.

Demetriou I felt had a solid game. He got forward well and also performed his defensive duties well.

Coker put some excellent crosses into the box and played some very neat passing football down the left side. He was caught out forward a couple of times but his team mates covered well for him.

I can see why people have been praising Thompson. He hardly put a foot wrong all game. Very impressive.

Innis also impressed me. He doesn't stand on ceremony and is a big presence in both penalty areas. Contrary to some postings about him, I thought his passing out of defence was good. He also seems to know when it is more sensible to put the ball into Row Z.

Wordsworth looked really classy and played some delightful passes. He also worked hard tracking back tonight.

Leonard was all action throughout the game. He read the game very well and made some excellent tackles and link-up play.

Timlin supported Demetriou very well down the right side and tried some ambitious passes that didn't always come off but showed a good footballing brain.

Cox was a constant threat. He was booked for the second crunching tackle he made on a Peterborough defender and was probably lucky that none of the officials saw a bit of 'afters' he appeared to dish out. Fortunately, he calmed down and seemed to work hard not to get another booking.

Fortune was another player who really impressed me. His sensible running, energy and hold-up play were very good, although he turned into trouble and failed to lay the ball off to his team mates effectively on a few occasions. He showed a great turn of pace to outrun the Peterborough defence for his goal.

McGlashan made a few good runs but drifted out of the game for significant periods and often seemed not to be in control of the ball when he had it.

Robinson and Ranger did an effective job after coming on as substitutes, the latter playing an excellent ball back to Timlin for his goal. O'Neill, however, made some dreadful mistakes after he came on and could easily have cost us three goals in the short time he was on tne pitch.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening.

 

[Sammy Shrimper]

Fortune MOM, just immense. Tims ran everywhere, Lenny was a massive influence on the game and the back line were solid. Posh were woeful but prob a good time to play them as they had two key players suspended. Us Shrimpers in the stand were noisy, and quite an impressive range of songs. This was just my second away game this season with the other being the 4-1 win at Bury, got tickets for the next 4-1 win on Saturday. UTB

Agree Fortune is a fantastic player for a 35year old! Lenny was superb PB extend his contract.
Ps nearly finished the Book! So many similar memories

 

[rigsby]

Just chatting to Les Ferdinand on the train back to Kings Cross. He was there to watch Ryan Inniss. He was impressed with both him and Southend.

We bumped into Mark Bright in the Peterborough town centre early doors and I assumed he was there to watch Ryan Inniss.

Very difficult to replace Anton but Inniss played really well. Completely different style to Ferdinand, he attacks the ball with aggression both in the air and on the floor but the end result is the same....The opposition forwards don't see much of the ball. Not afraid to smash it into row Z, which is fine by me because nobody has ever scored from row Z. By the way he is also quicker than some people have already assumed. Certainly caused problems in their box and even hit the post with a good turn and shot from a narrow angle at 0-0.

 

[rigsby]

I thought the ball did cross the line but many around me did not. The keeper snatched it back but it was over for a nanosecond, I would put money on it. Their keeper did argue but with no conviction, like a half hearted LBW appeal in cricket.

Edit: Just watched the highlights but the camera is on the wrong side. But if you watch the keeper he is in a real rush to get the ball up field, so the ref won't have time to think about it. He even glances at the linesman. Just like Manuel Neuer did when Lampard scored in the WC 2010.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

I remember, in the 90-91 promotion season, attending the 4-1 win at Swansea on a Tuesday night, if anyone recalls it.

Sounded just like how good we were that night! :thumbsup:

Think I was there for that one - long walk home from Rayleigh Weir!

 

[Blues 'n twos]

Here's something.

Just chatted to a mate at the game who said that none other than Ian Benjamin was in the Southend section tonight, chatting and having his photo taken with fans!

He was happy to chat and pose for photos, looked trim and fit as well, mind you I had been in Charters for a couple of hours drinking their finest :smile:.

As for the game....it could have been 6 /7 if we were more clinical, but hey ho 4-1 away from home can't grumble.
Timlin was back to his best, Innis and Thomo didn't put a foot wrong, MAF...what can you say, terrorised their defenders all night, and just when they were pleased to see the back of him.. Ranger comes on and did the same. Cox, his football brain is excellent, everyone else was just their normal selves and didn't need to be anything special,Posh were that ordinary.
Slight concerns about Ted punching when it looked easier to catch???

Away support was bloody excellent, didn't hear Peterborough all night. :happy:

 

[secondalibi]

What a great night! That really was a classy performance, we totally outplayed Peterborough, who apart from a 10 minute spell after they'd scored were never really in it. To be honest we could have scored more.

I don't normally like praising individual performances when this really was a great team effort, but Fortune was different class, he was a constant threat and Peterborough didn't have a clue how to stop him. Superb.

 

[Sufc.2008]

The best I've seen us play for a while. We have such a strong squad right now, and you can see the team gel so well together. Looking forward to Saturday!

Smith - 6: He didn't have a bad game at all, but his distribution needs a lot of work, as does his decision making and confidence. Doesn't fill me with confidence, but he will improve.

Coker - 6.5: Decent performance, done what he had to do without doing anything overly impressive.
Demetriou - 7.5: One of his best performances in a blue shirt. Got forward a lot and done his defensive work well. Needs to look up more before passing the ball though. His sloppy pass led to their goal.
Thompson - 8: I'm always confident with him at the back. Wins almost everything in the air, and anything he doesn't, he makes 100% sure that he win win the ball back eventually.
Innis - 8: Impressed me tonight... having come back from a lay off, you wouldn't have been able to tell. Absolutely dominates in the air, and has the no nonsense approach that we often need.

McGlashan - 7: Better performance from him, often not as good when starting but I think he was a constant threat down the wing.
Timlin - 8.5: Committed and won almost everything tonight. Done the job of Atkinson and then some!
Wordsworth - 7.5: I've criticised him a lot recently. Seemed back to his usual self tonight... a classy player.
Leonard - 8: Didn't stop working. His passion and commitment is a joy to watch.

Cox - 8: Such a clever player, and puts in a shift too. We always look worse when he leaves the pitch.
MAF - 8.5: I actually thought he had a poor first half... but boy did he make up for it in the second! His hold up play is excellent, and somehow manages to beat defenders so easily!

Subs:
Robinson - 6: Missed a decent chance, had little else to do really.
Ranger - 7: Looks very sharp when he comes on at the moment. Wins a lot of headers and was involved in one of the goals.
O'Neill - N/A: Not long enough to rate, but he had the energy and closed people down as expected.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Great result and even better to get one over Barry Fry again:thumbsup:
Was expecting to see Fortune rested tonight but once again he put in a great shift and deserves to keep Ranger/Robinson out of the starting line up. Superb all round team performance.

Just 2 defeats in 22 League matches is one of our best run of results in our history. Let's keep it going!

 

[spoons]

My son meets his hero!
We were at Bury to see him put the ball in the net.

Managed to get a photo with the Ranger too!

 

[Rob1920]

As much as it pains me to say, some praise needs to go to Ron for providing the financial backing to get these good players in.

Its not just financial backing, he backs his managers & gives them time to sort things out when it appears to all be going wrong. I know the Tilly thing will divide people but he also stood by him longer than most chairmen would have. I wonder how many clubs have only had 3 managers in the past 13 or so years?

 

[Chocolardo]

Only negatives from last night... Robinson missed another easy chance (he needs to take these coming off the bench) also Ted Smith still does not fill me with confidence. Nothing major though, we move onto Saturday and hopefully another good win

 

[rigsby]

Great night out obviously and as they say everyone put a shift in. Have to say their keeper didn't make many saves, by that I mean it was down to some really good finishing by us... 4/5 chances tucked away so well done all round. The game still had drama right to the end. We were cruising at 3-0 and Theo missed the easiest chance of the night which would have made 4-0. They pull one back and then Ted makes his "Gordon Banks" save with 3 or 4 minutes to go and if that had gone in, we would have had a very squeaky finish. Instead we go down the other end and its 4-1. :smile:

As the game unfolded they looked there for the taking but we had not tested their keeper in the first 30min. At that stage I was thinking have we missed a trick in not starting Ranger because Cox and Fortune weren't winning much in the air. Then we started to bang on the door and that first goal meant we never looked back.

In the strange world that is L1 it was the players who fans, including myself, had doubted, that done all the damage. 3 games in 10 days is to much MAF crosses to should be dropped Demi, MAF keeps nice and composed to slot home number 2, Demi wins a great tackle to set up Mr looking tired Wordsworth. Demi makes a great run to set up the chance that Theo missed. Then should he even be playing Ranger pulls a ball back to Mr should be home with the new born Timlin.

So well done to all the lads and Mr should have been sacked in September......Please please please keep proving us all wrong.

 

[rigsby]

Only negatives from last night... Robinson missed another easy chance (he needs to take these coming off the bench) also Ted Smith still does not fill me with confidence. Nothing major though, we move onto Saturday and hopefully another good win

Were there any positives? :winking: