Posh Preview - Away, Dec 19th

For a club that has had it all their own way the last two seasons, with the buyout from Darragh McAnthony, the appointment and subsequent success of Darren Ferguson and the successive promotions, the 09/10 season has been a hard season so far for the Posh faithful.

With Fergie Jnr. gone, a new man has come in to help push the club up the table and away from the despairing depths of the relegation zone, that man is a relative unknown in the Football League, and he is Mark Cooper. The former Tamworth and Kettering gaffer has a superb non-League CV, much like most of his playing squad and has wasted no time ringing the changes.

Upon his arrival striker Aaron McClean was appointed club captain, and since then he's stated his desire to move on, whilst the most imaginatively named footballer ever [Exodus Geohaghan] has arrived on loan with a view to a permanent deal from former club Kettering.

The Aaron McClean saga was prompted when he was placed on the bench for a recent game. McClean responded unhappily to being benched as skipper and has since had his request for a move accepted by Cooper. Whether he features on Saturday or not remains to be seen, but hopefully his antics will see him left out again. It is not to be denied his talent, but his temperment has certainly let him down this time.

George Boyd, another man plucked from the non-Leagues, and Hertfordshire outfit Stevenage has been a revelation for the Posh with over 124 consecutive starts to break the club record. He has notched nine times at this level already and clubs such as Spurs are already 'in the the frame' for him come January.

Completing the famous striking trio is Watford fan, Craig Mackail-Smith. Signed from Dagenham by Ferguson the peroxide blonde forward has managed a 50 goals for the Posh in just 110 league starts - some record. And here's hoping he can't bring himself to notch against the Horns!

The Posh have an Ex-Horn in their ranks in the shape of leggy French midfidler, Toumani Diagouraga, who made just one senior league appearance in a Yellow shirt in 2006 away to Burnley; a handful of cup outings make up his modest Hornets career.

Likely Posh XI
Lewis
Bennett Morgan Griffiths Geohaghan
Whelpdale Coutts Frecklington Boyd (c)
Mackail-Smith Batt

Likely Orns XI
Loach
Hodson Mariappa DeMerit (c) Doyley
Cleverley Lansbury Eustace Cowie
Helguson
Graham

Form Guides:
P'Boro: LDDDL
Watford: WLLWL

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