05/02/2022
05/02/2022
Peterborough United FC
15:00
2
-
0
Queens Park Rangers FC

Weston Homes Stadium

A look ahead to Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup fourth round tie.

Peterborough United welcome fellow Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers to the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday (3pm) for an Emirates FA Cup fourth round fixture with Darren Ferguson’s men looking to get into the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 1986.

Posh go into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, while the Hoops, who are fighting for automatic promotion to the Premier League, were 4-0 winners over strugglers Reading.

TEAM NEWS

Posh are without the services of on-loan striker Callum Morton, who is cup-tied, having played in this competition for Fleetwood Town earlier in the campaign. Dan Butler (ankle) is out for the rest of the season, while Harrison Burrows faces between 7-10 days on the sidelines with a foot problem.

Ollie Norburn returns to the squad following a dead leg, while defender Mark Beevers has also been declared fit after a slight calf injury. Jack Taylor is facing a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, but boss Ferguson is hopeful he won’t be on the treatment table for a lengthy period of time.

QPR swooped for Newcastle United midfielder Jeff Hendrick on transfer deadline day and he is expected to go straight into Mark Warburton’s squad for the clash at the Weston Homes Stadium. Ilias Chair didn’t feature in the win over Reading, as he has been away with his country at the African Cup of Nations.

Defender Dion Sanderson, on-loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, is pushing for a start while the experienced front man Charlie Austin could be given the nod in attack with plenty of important Championship fixtures coming thick and fast for the visitors.

FROM THE MANAGER

“QPR are a good side, we saw that in the game between the two sides earlier in the season, but we have beaten them before and that will give us confidence. It has been a challenging month, there is no getting away from that, but we have a break from the pressures of the league and we want to go as far as we can in this competition. It should be a good atmosphere, they have sold out their end and our sales are good, so hopefully it will be a really good occasion,” Darren Ferguson said.

FROM THE OPPOSITION

“We want to keep things going. We’ll go into it with a strong team, I’d imagine, and we’re going there to win the game. There is no point in trying to play to lose. What is the point in that?

“We went to Peterborough and lost late on earlier in the season, so there’s a demon there that we want to put right. We’ll treat it like every other game,” QPR midfielder Sam Field said this week.

TICKET NEWS

QPR sold out their entire allocation of just under 4,000 earlier this week and a big crowd is expected with encouraging home sales. QPR fans will occupy the Deskgo Stand as well as the normal away section of the North Stand. Tickets are on sale at www.theposhtickets.com and via the Weston Homes Stadium Box Office.

COMPETITION RULES

The game must be played to a finish with extra time and penalties if required. Both sides can name nine substitutes with five permitted to be used.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

The match referee is David Webb.

Posh v QPR

Darren Ferguson’s men are into the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup for the first time in over 35 years.

A goal in each half from Joe Ward and substitute Ricky-Jade Jones moved Peterborough United into the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup for the first time since the 1985-1986 campaign as Championship promotion contenders Queens Park Rangers were beaten 2-0 at the Weston Homes Stadium.

After a rather subdued start from both teams, it was the visitors who registered the first effort on goal, on 13 minutes as a fierce drive from Ilias Chair, back from the African Cup of Nations, was beaten away by Steven Benda.

Charlie Austin hooked a volley over the top from a well-worked Chair corner on 23 minutes as the Hoops tried to find the breakthrough. However, that breakthrough came at the other end, wonderful work in a tight space from Poku, his drilled cross was miss-controlled at the back post, Fuchs saw an effort blocked before Joe WARD rammed home the rebound from 10-yards.

Benda produced a good stop at his near post to beat away a shot from Odubajo wide for a corner kick and from the resulting set-piece, it was mayhem in the Posh six-yard box before it was hacked clear. Clarke-Harris went into the book for a needless foul on Sanderson. Dykes stabbed wide as Posh struggled to defend a free-kick into the box as the game reached the 38 minute mark.

Dunne was cautioned for dissent on 42 minutes after arguing about an award of a free-kick in favour of Clarke-Harris. Edwards was cautioned just before the fourth official indicated two minutes of added time for a foul.

Posh made a change at the break with Sammie Szmodics replacing Clarke-Harris in attack. The visitors made two changes with Albert Adomah introduced and he was instantly denied by some superb reflexes from Benda in the Posh goal.

Posh made a change on 56 minutes with Reece Brown replacing Poku. Chair was a whisker away from levelling the scores moments later with a fine curling free-kick, but the crossbar came to Darren Ferguson’s men’s rescue.

Ricky-Jade Jones and Hayden Coulson were both introduced on 65 minutes as the Posh made his fourth switch of the afternoon. Szmodics was a whisker away from adding a second on the counter moments later, but his low shot was deflected behind for a corner.

On 71 minutes, Posh doubled their lead, brave work from Fuchs and Mumba in midfield and a slide through pass by the latter for substitute JONES, who, with options, got his head down and fired low into the bottom corner of the net.

Jones was booked on 82 minutes by referee Mr Webb for a foul on Dickie. Norburn was cautioned for dissent on 87 minutes for protesting against a foul that was not given in favour of Fuchs, who was kicked in the head from a bouncing ball.

Posh: Benda, Edwards, Beevers, Kent, Ward (sub Coulson 65min), Mumba (sub Thompson 90min), Norburn, Fuchs, Poku (sub Brown 56min), Clarke-Harris (sub Szmodics 46min), Marriott (sub Jones 65min). Unused subs: Cornell, Knight, Grant, Randall.

QPR: Marshall, Wallace (sub Hendrick 46min), Dickie, Johansen (sub Dozzell 61min), Amos (sub Adomah 46min), Dykes, Chair (sub Thomas 61min), Austin, Dunne, Odubajo, Sanderson. Unused subs: Walsh, Kakay, Barbet, Ball.

Referee: Mr Webb
Half-time: Peterborough United 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Full-time: Peterborough United 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Attendance: 10,119 (3,790 QPR fans)