Reaction From Posh Boss Darren Ferguson

Last updated : 25 February 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Darren Ferguson
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson spoke to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire after his side's 1-0 win over Carlisle at London Road last night, Ferguson later in the interview discussing how the Posh are coping with the pressures of the promotion race :


" There is no fracture for Gaby Zakuani fortunately, we are all relieved that Gaby has not got any fracture to his neck. It is a very bad injury if he had got that, taking away the football side of it it is a terrible injury anyway. So we are relieved that Gaby has got no fracture or break. Initially the doctors are saying one or two weeks but we will have to patient with him obviously with a neck injury.

" He (Shane Blackett) played in the reserves last week and did particularly well. He has come back, he is looking good, he is looking fit, very fit, as fit as he has been I think. His recovery in running and things has got a lot better, which was a concern for us but he has definitely improved on that side. He came on and did well, we keep changing the back four, it is not something that I am keen on doing but at least now we have got Shane back, Tommy Williams is fit, Morgs (Chris Morgan) is not far away. So we have got different options.

" Now that we know that Gaby is OK fracture-wise it is probably a bigger concern is Lee (Frecklington's) injury. It is going to be a while, he has pulled his hamstring and he was in a lot of pain the boy. Which is a bad one for us because he is settling in nicely and he has done well. He gives us a little bit more flexibility in terms of how we can play, so that is a big loss for us. So we have to see how he is in the morning but normally with that sort of injury you have to be particularly patient.

" I changed from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 before Freck got injured. I just felt that their back four played a little bit higher up than I anticipated. I felt that Craig (Mackail-Smith) would perhaps be more of a threat down the middle, which maybe at home is a better way to start. I like the formation, the 4-3-3, I do, and we worked on a lot of stuff on Monday in training in terms of switching the play and getting them isolated, Smudger (Mackail-Smith) and George (Boyd).

" We didn't do that well enough but we know that we can change formations and it is something that I am keen on continuing doing. Obviously Whelps (Chris Whelpdale) is more suited to 4-4-2 though and as he came on it was definitely going to stay that way. "



" I said to the players at half-time that the most important players were the back four because I knew that we would get chances. I said that if they kept a clean sheet then we would win the game and that is what happened. I just hoped that one of our players would take a chance and Macca (Aaron McLean) has taken it well.

" That was the key really, the clean sheet and keeping the discipline at the back, not running all over the place and just letting players that can change the game with a little bit of magic do their stuff. Fortunately Whelps has got in at the back-stick, which we spoke about because their left-back (Michael Liddle) was small and Macca has really showed a lot of composure with his finish.

" He (McLean) has got the bit between his teeth, he has been magnificent in training, he has been magnificent in the dressing-room and in the last couple of weeks he has been different class. The boy should take a lot of credit, he is coming into form and scoring goals just at the right time. Not only is he a good goalscorer but he is a great lad around the place.

" Possibly the good thing that we have learned from last year is that we had so many frustrating games like that, especially at home, and we might have some more again this season. At least we know though that we have just got to keep digging in and keep playing at a tempo. I am fortunate that I have got players who can change a game. "



" George in attack perhaps didn't have the best of nights but he has produced two wonderful crosses that we should have scored from. That sort of thing helps, it just needs one bit of magic off one of the players like that and fortunately Macca has stuck away the chance.

" The expectancy here is what it is and we have just got to deal with it. We dealt with it last year OK, we have got to just deal with it this year. I think that we are handling it fine, we have got 13 games to go, if teams dropped points again tonight then there will be a lot of nervous teams out there coming to the end of the season.

" We have gone through it last season, as Milton Keynes did to be fair, and it is my job just to make sure that the players are relaxed and that all they have got to worry about is playing to their ability. If they do that then we will have a chance. We are in a good position, I would rather be in Milton Keynes's at the moment but I have got a funny feeling that might change on Saturday, hopefully anyway.

" If we can get in that second place then psychologically it might make a difference with a dozen games to go. The determination is there, the players have got the bit between their teeth, they know that the opportunity is there, there is no doubt about that. I have told them time and time again to make sure that they don't waste opportunities like the one that we have got now. "