Well, we did it, we`re on a run. 11 points from the last five games certainly proves that. I never said that every game had to be pretty, and this one certainly wasn`t (at least after Mark Davies came off). However, two wins on the spin is a very big step for a side that has been plagued by inconsistency for as long as I can remember; and a greater step for a side that needs to know how to win many more in a row.
Most of the good bits came in the first quarter. Dawson came up for a corner, and no shock to anyone, he scored. I know it`s nice to see someone hit a purple patch, and we could treat it as such, but just look at his goals to games ratio so far in his career. He`s done surprisingly well for a defensive minded player, albeit one that has played some his career as a holding midfielder. He certainly makes a significant contribution in set pieces, and I hope this threat will continue for the foreseeable future. He isn`t doing a bad job at the back, either. Unbeaten since he joined, and tight at the back.
There was several flowing moves in the early periods, with Chungy and Mark Davies making some delicious passes, and testing the Peterborough keeper to boot. As someone who has been a bit reluctant to get carried away by Lee`s performances this season, I was mightily impressed for the second game in succession. Yes, he still isn`t skinning fullbacks like he used to, but he`s making significant steps in our attack by keeping the ball and finding a man. I think this may be somewhat down to the differing philosophies of Dougie Freedman and Owen Coyle of what a winger`s role in the team is.
When Mark Davies went off injured in the 24th minute, there was a general sense of fear that he had seriously damaged his knee again. He`s had a scan today, but the results haven`t been announced yet. It has, however, been announced that he has signed an extension to his contract until 2017. Whether he will stay, or if this is an effort by the club to make a tidy sale from him in the summer, I can`t speculate. What I can say is that it is very, very good news for the club.
The man to replace Sparky/Mavies on the pitch was a man who knows his fair share about knee problems. Stuart Holden returned to league football to a standing ovation, such a long time after that poorly timed challenge from Jonny Evans. Let`s hope the best is still to come from Stu. He didn`t have the best of games, and I never expected him to have a blinder. I pinpointed him before the game as I knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to ease him back into the first team, but I could see rust in him that hasn`t been so obvious in the reserve games I`ve watched him play. He possibly wasn`t used to just how aerial the Championship can be, but he also hesitated at opportunities to make challenges. I`m sure that as the weeks go on, he will get better and better.
The substitution, and some Bolton-grade complacency that set in after the first goal, meant that we never really got back up the gears. Not that we needed to, as Peterborough were very poor. The game slowly changed from one where dominated possession, to one where we couldn`t keep hold of the ball. This could have been problematic against a stronger side, but at times it seemed like we were comfortable with the opposition having hold of the ball. They never looked like scoring, and made some truly shocking efforts on goal. These did eventually trigger us to search for a second goal, but we didn`t find it and didn`t need.
A boring game for the most part, but I take it over a thrilling defeat anyday.
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