18:45 Thursday 6th December 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
CHRIS MANN: Posh are facing a striker shortage ahead of the home tie with Middlesborough. Tyrone Barnett and Emile Sinclair are out on loan and can’t be recalled. Today it has been revealed that Saido Berahino has gone back to parent club West Brom, whilst Darren Ferguson told our Sports Editor Nick Fairbairn the young forward had picked up a serious injury. (TAPE)
DARREN FERGUSON: Yes, he’s finished. In terms of his loan, it’s over. There’s no question about that. It’s going to be at least eight weeks, so .. He’s cracked a bone in his knee. They did a further scan, West Brom. So these are part and parcel of the game. It leaves us very light. There’s no question about that. Obviously we’d have brought Dwight back in earlier than we thought we could get him for a reason, because we lost strikers. I was quite fine with him, Tommo and Saido would have been the three. Now Saido’s injured, and we can’t do anything ’till January. It does leave us light. But we have to get on with it.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: That’s devastating news. I’m sure you’d like to have him back in January, when he’s fit again.
DARREN FERGUSON: Yes. It may be a bit longer than that. We’re looking at probably a bit longer. But no, I think the ones we’ve brought in on loan this season, Saido and George Thorne have done .. they have made a difference. They’ve done really well. They’re both very good players, and it was a situation last season where perhaps maybe because we were doing better, they couldn’t play regular football, the ones that came in. But they’re two good players, and two I’d like to extend, definitely, if we can.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: Just trying to rack my brains, thinking about the emergency loan rule. You can’t go down that route? Did you have a look at the small print and see if you could?
DARREN FERGUSON: No, we knew the situation. We knew .. unfortunately the season doesn’t always pan out as you expect. Football turns up surprises. And we’ve dealt with this situation where I’ve had to make some tough decisions in terms of a disciplinary matter. But I felt we’d have them three strikers in. You hope you don’t get an injury. I’m aware fully of that. I suppose it’s happened. We have to get on with it. I made the right decisions at the right time.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: Yes. Emile and Tyrone obviously you’re alluding to there, and obviously it’s your worst luck, isn’t it? They go out on loan and you suffer an injury. What’s the situation in terms of recalls? You can’t do anything there?
DARREN FERGUSON: No we can’t do anything. We’ve got what we’ve got. We know that. We knew that last week, that we’ve got the squad we’ve got together. That’s fine. There’s no panic about it. I’ll have to think a different situation. I might have to use people. At the end of the day really we’ve only played with three strikers. We’ve only played with one through in a lot of games, and two wide of them. So, you know, one main striker we’ve played with, and two other wide players/strikers. The situation is not as worrying as it may seem. We’ve got obviously some tough fixtures this month, and then we’ll deal with it next month. But we will be looking, in that position, looking to strengthen, there’s no question.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: Big responsibility on the shoulders of Dwight Gayle now. Just scored his first goal, and in fairness to him, although things weren’t going well for the team as a whole, he kept battering on that door, didn’t he?
DARREN FERGUSON: Well he was the one shining light from Saturday. He was the one that really did take the responsibility. And he got the goal he deserved through a mistake. He took his goal very well. He played very well, the boy. He’s been really impressive. He’s one of those players that you’re fortunate. He comes in from a lower level and you think, well, he’s going to take a little bit of time. Put him in there, but he’s going to have to learn as he plays. But to be fair, he only needs to be rold once or twice and he does it. It’s a very good ability to have, that. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: Darren Ferguson there talking ahead of the home tie with Middlesborough this weekend.
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