football rambles

 On Saturday we went to Posh v Barnsley in the second round of the FA Cup. I am afraid there was very little cup magic on display. A poor performance from two weakened sides saw us being put out of our misery by Patrick Skelly who scored for the visitors in the 73rd minute. To be honest, I'll remember this day more for what was a final visit to the Blind Tiger as they concentrate on their Tap House in Nene Park and shut up shop in the town centre. There was also the small matter of a game at Villa Park where a last gasp Emi Buendia goal saw Villa defeat league leaders Arsenal and go third in the table. Unfortunately though the game at London Road was a real disappointment.

 This was a really poor performance from Peterborough yesterday in a period that can best be called one of rebuilding. In the past Posh have sold loads of players, but have always had a conveyor belt that has meant that they can usually compete at the top of League One, even though  their forays in to the Championship it never seems to end too well. League One is probably tougher than ever this season and this time they don't seem to have the talented players coming through to replace those that have been sold. The crowd seemed to be blaming Darren Ferguson, the manager but for me the blame lies at Darragh Mc.Anthony's door and the constant selling of talent. Anyway, the first half proved that it was going to be a struggle for Posh who were up against it and didn't really get into the Barnsley half until the half hour mark. However, there was still hope for them at the break as both sides went in having not been able to score. At this point Posh could be thankful that they ...

 After the disappointment of the Ipswich away game being off last week this was probably as equally disappointing. Michael Duff out-though Mark Bonner in this game and hopefully this is a blip like the Lincoln at home last season rather than a sign of things to come. Barnsley were impressive in this game, but Cambridge offered very little going forward and even before the game, I thought that Joe Ironside would have been better off starting rather than Sam Smith given the way Barnsley were set up. However, even his introduction and Barnsley being down to 10 men after Liam Kiching was sent off wasn't enough to stem the tide.  Barnsley originally took the lead through Devante Cole and Robbie Cundy and James Norwood added to the issues after Ironside had been introduced and Barnsley were down to 10 men.  If Norwood can get his fitness and form back, it could be a good season for Barnsley. Cambridge need to have a bit of a rethink though after a couple of losses and some game...