18:18 Monday 22 October 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
CHRIS MANN: Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson says he may make one or two changes to his team for the match against Huddersfield. The Posh lost 0-1 at Watford on Saturday, but have an immediate chance to bounce back when the Terriers come to London Road tomorrow evening. One change that may be forced upon Fergie is replacing Tommy Rowe, who was subbed off at half-time against Watford with an ankle injury. (TAPE)
DARREN FERGUSON: Well he’s been in early this morning. It’s fifty fifty. He won’t train today. It will be a last minute thing, but we’ll know more tomorrow.
SAM EDWARDS: That’s quite a trick, isn’t it? Because he’s such a lynch-pin of that new formation, being at wing-back. Does that play on your mind with a change of shape then?
DARREN FERGUSON: No. We’ve always got a change of shape in us. I’ve got young Kgosi that can come in there and play there comfortably, so it will be one of those two. All I can say, we’ll know more tomorrow.
SAM EDWARDS: Yes it could just be a straight swap, so it’s not too much of a dilemma for you.
DARREN FERGUSON: No. No. Tommy and Kgosi can play left back or left wing back, so no. There’s no problem.
SAM EDWARDS: In terms of other people coming back into the squad, I remember after the game you were talking about Saido and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing as well, so a lot to think about.
DARREN FERGUSON: Yes. I’m strong. I said that after the game, I think. When we’ve got no injuries or suspensions that we haven’t at the moment, then we’ve got a strong squad. And the players know that, the players. if they don’t perform on a consistent basis. But I think it tells it’s own story when I’ve picked the same team in the last four games, and in all four of those games we’ve had two wins, and I think we should have got something about of both the defeats, the one nil defeats we’ve had. So there is consistency there, but of course, I said it last time, at home we may want to change one or two things, but we’ll know tomorrow.
SAM EDWARDS: And I guess with three games in eight days as well, I know you’ve named that consistent side, but more likely to change things than in a normal week, I guess.
DARREN FERGUSON: Yes. Perhaps you freshen up areas of the pitch that may need it. That’s something I could do, either tomorrow or Saturday. And that’s why I’m pleased that everyone, touch wood, is fit. We’ve got a strong bench. So I’ve got the possibility of doing that, if I have to.
SAM EDWARDS: So just Tommy that’s a doubt then. Everyone else is available.
DARREN FERGUSON: Everyone else is fine, absolutely fine.
SAM EDWARDS: Fantastic. And .. lack of draws. I think you’re the only team in the Championship now without a draw. Is that a concern for you?
DARREN FERGUSON: It is if you keep losing. You’d rather win and lose and win and lose I think. I don’t think we had that many draws last season really. I think we’ve been unfortunate. We’ve lost a lot of games by the odd goal. It was similar last season. So that tells its own story in terms of really fine margins, whether you get the success in this league or not. Saturday was exactly the same. It looked a nil niller all over, going into the last minute, and unfortunately we lost it. But .. and the week previous we lost to Forest to a hell of a goal. And after that people can say yes, Forest had chances, but they had chances for a reason. They never had a chance until it went one nil. And we were chasing the game. But no, it is the fine margins, the real small bits that make the big differences.
SAM EDWARDS: It must be so frustrating, musn’t it, because it kind of had echoes of the Bristol City game. Again, they didn’t really look in the game at all, did they, here at London Road, until that error?
DARREN FERGUSON: Yes. And, you know, we’ve gone ahead in two away games before Watford. If we’d have gone ahead against Watford I think we would have won. We beat Barnsley and Hull after going ahead. And George’s chance is pivotal to the game. A great chance with not long to go, and you’d probably see it out then. Anyway, we move on to the two home games, and the one stat. that is out there that we haven’t had a point at home. So we need to change that. There’s no doubt about that.
SAM EDWARDS: But a real positive from the weekend, saw the best out of Bobby Olejnik in goal.
DARREN FERGUSON: Well yes, Bobby made I think one very very good save early in the second half. He put one onto the post. Apart from that he didn’t have too much to do. They had a period, Watford, after watching the game back on Saturday night. They had ten, ten fifteen minutes .. ten minutes it was actually .. of good pressure. But it was our own doing really. We gave the ball away sloppily in areas, in our own defensive third. And they kept breaking, and they got some one on one situations. And I think once Grant came onto the pitch, he got a certain control of the game which was lacking a little bit. And so I was pleased with that. But really, watching the game back, we certainly deserved a draw.
SAM EDWARDS: And just going back to the problem that, Joe Day obviously out on loan now. The pressure’s really on him to keep performing, isn’t it. No-one’s knocking on that door to get in.
DARREN FERGUSON: Well I think it would be unfair to Joe that. I think he’s been injured for such a long time, and the boy has been here for a while. He needs games. Of course there’s a slight risk to it, because Barry Richardson ideally wouldn’t be on the bench, but I’ve got to balance that one accordingly. We’ve got a 24 hour callback on Joe. And I think young Bobby’s been very very good this season up to now. Very very good.
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