Opposition view: Posh boss Ferguson laments 'missed opportunity' after defeat to Cobblers

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson lamented a ‘missed opportunity’ and said his side’s quality in the final third was ‘nowhere near good enough’ after they were beaten by rivals Northampton.

Posh were the better team at the start of both halves in Saturday’s local derby at Sixfields but Will Randall missed two early chances and that became something of a pattern for the visitors throughout the contest. They took 17 shots in all but only had one on target.

Cobblers battled away gamely and they were rewarded for a strong finish to the contest when Mitch Pinnock somehow found the net with an audacious 40-yard volley from all the way over on the right flank. That gave Town their first win of the season and also ended United’s 100 per cent start.

"It's a really sore one because you're playing against your rivals and it's a big game for the club and a big game for the fans," said Ferguson. "We haven't lost here in a while but now we have and it's a sore result.

"I have no idea whether or not their goal crossed the line even after watching the video. The linesman has made a big call from a distance but that wasn't the reason why we lost.

"The quality and the tempo and our decision-making, just the basics, weren't good enough in the final third. We weren't ruthless enough. The game could be over after 10 minutes because we had two absolute sitters.

"Our quality wasn't there, which is rare. I warned the players how the game would go if we didn't get an early goal and unfortunately I was right. Kwame Poku was our best player, he played quickly and got them on the back foot, but I felt we didn't look like scoring and that's why we made the subs and I wanted to put him in central areas.

"But our quality in the final third was nowhere near good enough. We’ve had a difficult start in terms of who we’ve played and on paper you’d say this is the one you would win but this is a different kind of game. I think it's a big missed opportunity for us."