Grant McCann said he expected his players to shine against Southend, but it was yet another bad day at the office for the Posh, and another defeat.
Posh started brightly, with Craig Mackail-Smith's pace and non-stop running causing problems for Southend's back line. Junior Morias was much the same, but neither could muster the kind of chance to give Posh the lead in a game where the first goal was always going to be vital. Southend got that goal right at the end of the half. Demetriou scored his first goal for Southend, although the highlights McCann saw suggested the ball didn't cross the line. It was a body blow for Posh, but they had 45 minutes to sort it out.
Did they sort it out? Of course not. Marc Antoine Fortune outmuscled Jack Baldwin and slotted past Luke McGee to make it two, before Will Atkinson made it 3 after 64 minutes. The mass exodus began as Posh fans headed for the exit gates. Tom Nichols came on and netted a consolation for Posh, but Michael Timlin made it four to put the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
In all honesty, we weren't that bad in the opening 45 minutes. Mackail-Smith and Morias both went close, as did Michael Bostwick and Marcus Maddison. Nothing really tested the Southend goalkeeper, and thats part of the problem for Posh at the minute, the lack of cutting edge is costing us week in, week out, and it's starting to become the norm that Posh can't create enough clear chances to give themselves a chance of winning. Posh now only have 8 goals in 9 games since the FA Cup clash at Chelsea on the 8th of January - a stat that simply isn't good enough for a team that is meant to be chasing the playoffs.
Jack Baldwin was captain for the game, and given that Michael Smith is currently vice-captain, you'd have to wonder if this is a sign of things to come. Smith started the match and wasn't given the armband, so it makes you wonder if Baldwin is going to be given the gig full time. Ryan Tafazolli was the fans choice to take the armband from Chris Forrester, but it seems he's been overlooked. Baldwin in the game, looked short of fitness, and struggled to cope with the physical presence of Fortune, which payed dividends for their second goal - the goal which really looked to kill Posh off.
Posh missed Anthony Grant in front of the back four, and while Bostwick didn't do too much wrong defensively, Grant's calm head on the ball and ability to pick a pass was missing, as Bostwick misplaced passes and even hoofed a simple ball out to Smith, out for a throw in, in the first half. You could argue Forrester was also missed, but he hasn't been the same player since the game against Chelsea, so maybe it would've been time to give him a break even if he wasn't suspended.
Tom Nichols came on, and by all accounts, did quite well. He came on and scored the goal - his 11th of the season - not a bad total for a team who seem to have forgotten how to create chances. I'd expect him to come back into the starting line up when Rochdale come to the ABAX Stadium on Saturday.
And somehow, we're still only 5 points off the playoffs... Up next are Rochdale at home, then Millwall away - two teams just ahead of Posh in the league. If we take 4 or 6 points (which seems unlikely), we're actually right back in the playoff hunt. Anything less than 3 or 4 points and we may as well begin planning for next season.
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