The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Plenty to work on despite easy opening day win
Peterborough United manager Steve Evans admitted there is plenty to work on with his playing squad despite a comfortable opening day victory in League One at home to Bristol Rovers.
First-half goals from striker Matt Godden and central midfielder Mark O’Hara delivered a 2-1 win at the ABAX Stadium with visitors Bristol Rovers scoring their goal in the final minute.
Evans started with a Posh club record nine debutants and added two more from the substitutes’ bench in a game played in sweltering conditions.
“It’s a big win for a new group of players,” Evans enthused. “Obviously no-one will get carried away and it’s clear there is still plenty for us to work on, but a win in August is as important as a win in April.
“I was very pleased with the group as we overcame all sorts of challenges to pick up the three points.
“It was 90 degrees on the pitch, we had nine players making their competitive debut and we were playing a very talented Bristol Rovers team so we are right to be satisfied.
“We were very good in the first-half and deserved our two-goal lead and ideally we would have kicked on and scored a third goal early in the second-half. If that had happened we might well have scored five or six which is what their manager told me after the game, but we never really got going and Rovers definitely improved.
“I know what the match statistics are saying, but I’ll take our opponents shooting from 35 yards and missing the target by 30 yards.
They never really looked like scoring and the only disappointment was finally letting one in 20 seconds from the end. It’s a good start to the season, but that’s all it is. We were back to work on Monday working on the best way to take on Rochdale this Saturday.”
Evans’ use of two central midfielders against three employed by Rovers was one postmatch talking point as was the promising strike partnership of Godden and Jason Cummings.
“I enjoyed watching the front two, especially in the first 30 minutes,” Evans added.
“Their movement was good, they linked up okay and they won their aerial battles.
“I was quite tough on them in pre-season, but they’ve taken my opinion on board and I was delighted with them.
“I was happy with the midfielders as well. I’m well aware of the risk of going with a two against a three in the centre of the pitch, but we broke on them as well as they broke on us. It’s a gamble I’m prepared to take with the players I have at this club. I will change the formation at times this season.
“There is no point in signing midfielders of the quality of Alex Woodyard, O’Hara, Callum Cooke, Alex King and Louis Reed if they’re not going to get a game. I played with a three-man midfield towards the end of Saturday’s game when we were trying to shore the result up. It worked fine.
“And O’Hara ran nine kilometres in the first half which is an incredible statistic in that sort of heat and it backs up my opinion of this group.
“At the moment it might not be as talented a squad as others in the recent Posh past, but they have the heart of King Kong and that matters to me.
“When we signed O’Hara Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers rang me to say we had signed a top player, one he had been monitoring in Scottish football and he’s not a bad judge.
“There is a long journey ahead and we’ve just taken the first of 46 steps by picking up as many points as we possibly could.”
Posh have now won their opening Football League match in six of the last seven seasons.
Posh boss Steve Evans says his side will improve on opening day win.
Posh striker Jason Cummings earned praise from his manager.
Steve Evans: “My players have the heart of King Kong.”