McKenna: Posh a Really Difficult and Dangerous Opponent Thursday, 20th Apr 2023 19:17 Boss Kieran McKenna says Peterborough United, who the promotion-pushing Blues face at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday, are “a really difficult and really dangerous opponent”. Town, who have four matches left to play, are second in the League One table, a point behind leaders Plymouth and one ahead of Sheffield Wednesday in third, the Owls having played a game more than the Blues and Pilgrims. The Blues realistically need a maximum of eight points to win promotion back to the Championship after four years in League One. While Town are at London Road, Argyle host Cambridge United, Sheffield Wednesday take on Exeter at Hillsborough and Barnsley, now very much outsiders for the top two following their 0-0 draw at Lincoln on Tuesday, are in home action against Oxford. Blues boss Kieran McKenna is taking nothing for granted against Posh, who are fifth on 73 points, 15 behind the Blues and one ahead of Bolton and Derby in sixth and seventh. Darren Ferguson’s men have won six of their last eight and three of their last four, having been beaten 2-0 in their local derby at Cambridge United last Saturday before returning to form via Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Accrington. At London Road this season, they have have won 13, drawn three and lost five. Among the home victories were a 5-2 success against leaders Plymouth in February and a 2-0 defeat of Derby last month. “We know we're coming up against a really difficult and really dangerous opponent who are in good form, have got a lot of threats and a lot of goals in the team,” McKenna said. “Not just up front, but they've got goals in different areas of the pitch and threats in different areas of the pitch. “As all teams, an opponent that we need to respect and we'll do that over the next couple of days. “But after that, it's about us going to try and deliver a performance again, focusing on our strengths, trying to impose ourselves on the game and making it a performance that gives us a good chance to go and beat another difficult team. “You can't ever tell what type of game it's going to be. We can't be sure how the game will pan out, but it's generally two teams who are aggressive and positive and want to take the initiative in the game, so, hopefully, it should make for a good game and we'll do everything we can to come out on top.”
McKenna is anticipating a very different match to Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Port Vale with Posh likely to take a more positive approach than the Valiants as they seek to secure their play-off spot. “I would have thought so,” the Northern Irishman said. “They’re a positive and aggressive team and club in general from what I’ve seen of them over the last few years. They like to go and attack games and score goals, back themselves and their threats and their players. And we do the same. “Of course, we have to respect their threats. I would imagine they would respect what we’re good at and try and account for that, but I think both teams will go and try and win the game and hopefully that makes for a good one.” Does he expect an open game? “You can never say for sure on how open because the scoreline dictates that as well. If one team gets an early lead, it often changes the swing. “If one team gets a two-goal lead then it’s more acceptable for them to defend more compact and be closed and make it difficult for the other team. “I think the scoreline can dictate that and you can never say it’s going to be a wide open game. “I think what you can be pretty confident on is that both teams will go into the game with the intent to be aggressive, be positive and take the initiative in the game. “When the whistle blows, you can never be sure what’s going to happen, but I think it’s two teams who will be preparing to go and win the game.” Earlier in the season, the Blues won the corresponding home fixture 2-1, but with Posh having sacked manager Grant McCann shortly after that and replaced him with Ferguson, who is in his fourth spell in charge at London Road. As such, McKenna says not too much can be taken from the Portman Road match into Saturday’s fixture. “I don’t think there’s loads,” he reflected. “We performed very well with a lot of injuries during that period and I think we lost Janoi [Donacien] early in the game as well, so it was one of the performances this season which has had a big part to play in being in a good position now. “But it certainly wasn’t comfortable right through the game. Any game with Peterborough you’re aware of the quality of their players, of the threat that they have, that they can score at any moment and we have to be absolutely on our guard. “I imagine there will be differences from a tactical point of view. In that game they played more of a 3-5-2 with [Kwame] Poku in behind the front two. They’ve been playing more of a 4-2-3-1 lately, but they’ve often changed in games as well. “Their base structure is different and they’re doing a few things different tactically but in essence they’re still a team who have threats up front, threats on the wing, a goal threat running from midfield and good attacking full-backs. “I think the threats will still be the same. Darren’s reconfigured the team a little bit to how he wants it, but I think in any game against Peterborough, you know you’re going to have to defend well to stop their threats and give yourself the chance to compete in the game.” Town are understood to have made multiple bids for Posh midfielder Jack Taylor in January. Does McKenna see the 24-year-old as one of their key men? “They’ve got so many threats, you can’t pick out one,” McKenna said. “They’ve got the top goalscorer in the division [Jonson Clarke-Harris], they’ve got two excellent wingers [Ephron Mason-Clark and Poku], three wingers, but I think Ricky-Jade Jones is injured, but two excellent wingers [who are fit]. “They’ve got midfielders who can break from deep like Taylor, but he’s not the only one who can break from deep. “[Joe] Ward is a very good full-back, [Nathanael] Ogbeta who has come in I know well from Manchester City as a young kid, he’s a very good full-back, [Dan] Butler has been a very good full-back and wing-back for the down the years and they have a lot of different threats all over the pitch really. “It would be wrong to focus on one player, whether that’s Clarke-Harris or Mason-Clark or any individual, we need to be ready for all their threats and what they do as a team.” Peterborough are expecting a full house of around 13,000 with 3,856 visitors from Suffolk. McKenna says he’s looking forward to the occasion: “It’s a game we have to really enjoy being here at this stage of the season, fighting for something. “It’s where we want to be and we have to enjoy the little steps and the games as they come along. “And this is another one to enjoy, going to a team who were in the Championship last year, have a really, really powerful squad that they kept together from last year. “An experienced and good manager, who has been successful there and a team that’s also in form who are desperately fighting for the points. “We go there with almost 4,000 away supporters in good form with a hungry group, who are desperate to finish the season well, it’s certainly an occasion that we’re going to look to go to and enjoy. “We know if we do that, it gives us a better chance of getting the result that we want to get in the end anyway.” McKenna will probably stick to most of the team which beat Port Vale on Tuesday having said he expects everyone - aside from long-term absentees George Edmundson and Tyreece John-Jules - to be available despite one or two missing Thursday training with bumps and bruises. Christian Walton will be in goal with Harry Clarke on the right of the defence alongside Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess with Leif Davis at left-back and Wes Burns wide on the right. Skipper Samy Morsy and Massimo Luongo will be in the centre of midfield with 25-goal top scorer Conor Chaplin and Tuesday’s two-goal hero Nathan Broadhead the number 10s. McKenna will probably look to swap Freddie Ladapo for George Hirst in the central striker’s role. In addition to Jones, who has missed the last five matches, Posh have injury concerns regarding right-backs Ward and Nathan Thompson, who are both set to miss the game. Manager Ferguson is anticipating a well-contested fixture between two sides who like to play football and have plenty to play for. “It’s a great game, I’m really looking forward to it,” he told Posh’s official site. “It’s why we’re in it, really. During my break, I missed these sort of games. “It’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere, both teams playing for a helluva lot. Two very good footballing teams. “These games take care of themselves, these are the ones I’m fairly relaxed about, there should be no extra motivation needed.” Reflecting on their two biggest home wins this season, against the Pilgrims and Rams, he continued: “We’ve coped well, Portsmouth you could probably include in that, they brought a lot of away fans, one of the bigger clubs in the league. “Those three games, we’ve coped very well with. Teams that have come and had a go at us, we’ve scored goals. “Saturday, it’s going to be a tough game against a good team, a team challenging for the top two, in good form, but so are we. Two good footballing teams and it’ll be a good football match, I think.” Regarding Town, he added: “They’re a club that you would expect to be up there in this league. But it’s easier said than done. “New manager comes in, he’s done a great job, you have to say. They’re up there for a reason, they look well coached, they’ve got a real identity to how they play and they’ve got good players. So all those combined makes you a good team. And they’ve got momentum, as we have. “In every game I’ve prepared for, you look at the opposition, where you can hurt them and how they can hurt you, and Saturday’s no different.” Historically, Posh have the upper hand, winning eight times (four in the league), five matches having ended in draws (four) and the Blues successful on four occasions, only twice in the league. Town have never won a league match at London Road in five attempts. However, the Blues have been victorious away against Posh in cup competitions, a 2-1 FA Cup win in 1972 and 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in what was then the EFL Trophy in December 2019. In December, Chaplin scored twice as Town beat Peterborough United 2-1, only their second ever victory over Posh at Portman Road. Chaplin’s flicked header gave the Blues the lead on 21 but Frankie Kent levelled for the visitors 10 minutes later. However, Chaplin won it with his 10th goal of the season in the 58th minute to send the Blues to the top of League One. The teams last met at London Road in February 2021 when James Norwood gave Town an early lead but goals from Clarke-Harris and Ward saw Peterborough to a 2-1 victory. Norwood hit his third goal of the season in the sixth minute but Clarke-Harris headed a leveller in the 38th minute and then Ward won it with a free-kick five minutes after the break. Blues midfielder Dom Ball spent almost two months on loan with Posh between January and February 2017, making six starts and scoring one goal. Town striker Kayden Jackson underwent a medical at London Road in the summer of 2018, Posh having agreed a fee with Accrington before the frontman ultimately opted to join the Blues. Academy head of player and coaching development Bryan Klug was a player with Peterborough between 1984 and 1985. Former Town loan keeper Will Norris, who made 20 appearances during 2019/20, is currently with Posh on loan from Burnley. Saturday’s referee is Gavin Ward from Surrey, who has shown 117 yellow cards and two red in 33 games so far this season. Ward’s most recent Town match was the pre-season friendly at Millwall in the summer in which he kept his cards in his pocket throughout. His last competitive Blues match was the 2-0 home defeat to Rotherham in November 2021 in which he yellow-carded Morsy and three of the visitors. Before that, he was in the middle for the 2-0 defeat at Fleetwood in March the same year in which he booked Gwion Edwards and two home players. Prior to that he was in charge of the 3-2 home victory over Leeds in the final Championship game prior to relegation from the Championship in May 2019 in which he booked Toto Nsiala, Jackson and one White, and showed Blues captain Luke Chambers a late straight red card for a foul for which he also awarded the visitors a penalty. Ward was also the man in the middle for the 6-1 pre-season thrashing at Charlton ahead of the start of the 2017/18 campaign and refereed the 1-0 away victory over the MK Dons in December 2015 in which he yellow-carded Chambers, Jonathan Douglas and Freddie Sears. A month earlier he had taken charge of the 2-2 draw at home to Wolves in which he again cautioned Chambers and two visiting players. Ward also took control of the 3-1 home victory over Cardiff in April of the same year in which he booked Cole Skuse, Tyrone Mings and Christophe Berra and two visiting players. Prior to that he refereed the 2-0 defeat at Rotherham that February. Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Clarke, Donacien, Woolfenden, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Jackson, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Luongo, Ball, Humphreys, Camara, Chaplin, Broadhead, Harness, Edwards, Aluko, Ladapo, Hirst.
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