Stevenage play Peterborough at London Road for the first time in the league this Saturday, and we've got all you need to know right here:
Peterborough United
Sky Bet League One
London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AL
Saturday 23rd November 2013
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire)
Weather forecast: 5°c, light cloud
Tickets:
You can buy tickets at Borotickets until 4pm today or from the club shop until 5pm on Friday where prices in the away end are £25 in advance. If you choose to pay on the day you will have to pay £28 so it’s advisable to book in advance.
Last time we met:
The two teams last met over two years ago when Posh ran out 4-3 winners in the first round of the then Carling Cup. David Ball headed home from close range to open the scoring for Posh before Stacy Long levelled from 18 yards out. Ball restored Posh's lead from the edge of the box and Michael Bostwick sent the game into extra-time with a superb 25-yard effort. George Boyd scored from range for Posh and Chris Beardsley headed a leveller before Tomlin's winner. With the 120 minute mark approaching, Jon Ashton fouled former Stevenage player Boyd in the area and Tomlin sent Alan Julian the wrong way to seal the sides' first ever competitive meeting.
Boro: Julian, Henry, Ashton, Roberts, Laird, Wilson, Edwards (Shroot), Bostwick, Long (Winn), Charles, Harrison (Beardsley)
Subs not used: Myrie-Williams, Madjo, Reid, May
Team news:
Ben Chorley and David Gray are both on the road to recovery but it’s unlikely they’ll be ready for this weekend's game. Roarie Deacon is available for selection after missing out against Rotherham due to being suspended for his red card against Leyton Orient. It’s likely that GW will name a similar starting XI to those of recent weeks.
Lee Tomlin is available after serving his suspension for Peterborough although Sean Brisley is out after getting sent off in their Monday night loss to Walsall.
View from the dressing room:
After the defeat to Rotherham last weekend, Graham Westley admitted that he needs some members of the squad to "step up to the plate" in order to provide more competition to the starting XI.
"The temptation to change players has been resisted quite easily because the form of the lads in the squad hasn't been quite at the right level.
"We've had a week to get ready for this next game so we can leave the signs of fatigue behind and get ourselves back to winning ways."
Speaking about Peterborough he admitted that both teams will be in a similar, focused mindset to bounce back after disappointing defeats last time out:
To view the full interviews from Graham Westley and Luke Jones, sign in to your Boro Player account NOW!
Betting:
Boro are heavy underdogs going into the game and can be backed at 11/2 with Sky Bet. If you fancy Stevenage to nick it 1-0, £10 will return you £130 with odds at 12/1. Francois Zoko (he’s so hot right now) is 7/1 to score first and a massive 12/5 anytime with Sky Bet. Sign up with Sky Bet with any of the attached links and help the club earn money!
The Peterborough Scout Report:
Familiar faces:
Over the years a huge amount of ex-Stevenage players have gone on to play for Peterborough, the most notable being George Boyd who's now at Hull. Between the current squads though there's only one player who's got links between the two clubs - Michael Bostwick. "Bozzie" as he's affectionately known was extremely popular at The Lamex and played over 200 times for the club, helping the club win promotion from the Conference through to League One. In 2012 Peterborough signed him for an undisclosed fee after being Darren Ferguson's "number one transfer target" for the summer.
Recent form:
Rather than licking their wounds after getting relegated in heart-breaking fashion on the final day of last season, Peterborough got off to a flyer in the league, as they often do in League One. Six straight wins in all competitions including thrashings over Colchester (5-1), Tranmere (5-0) and Reading (6-0) sent out a statement to the rest of the league. Posh continued to perform well over the following months however their league form has deserted them somewhat as they’re currently on a 4 game run without a win. Despite this Peterborough are still 3rd in the table and will be aiming for automatic promotion come the end of the year. The Posh have a fine defensive record this season, conceding only 14 goals this season whilst they’ve also performed well in front of goal, scoring 25.
Key man:
Britt Assombalonga has enjoyed a dream start to life at Peterborough with 10 goals already this season for the former Watford striker. After previous successful loan spells at both Wealdstone and Braintree in the past couple of years, the 20-year old spent last season on loan at Southend United where he scored 15 times. Back in July he joined Posh for a record fee on a four-year deal and has taken to League 1 like a duck to water, scoring seven league goals and three cup goals in his first few months at the club. The youngster has failed to score in any of Peterborough’s last seven league games but has notched in both recent cup victories against Exeter (FA Cup) and Dagenham (JPT).