Tuesday night at Oakwell in mid-February. The kind of fixture that sorts out who’s genuinely committed to this club and who’s got better things to do, like reorganising their sock drawer. Peterborough United roll into town and, if we’re being honest, this one’s got “tetchy 1-1 with three yellow cards and a collective groan at full time” written all over it.
The numbers don’t lie, even if we wish they would. We’re sat on 1.36 points per game, they’re on 1.38. We leak goals like a knackered tap (1.75 per match), they’re marginally less generous at 1.34. We score a bit more than them, which is something, I suppose, though “1.68 goals per game” isn’t exactly setting the world alight. This is two mid-table sides circling each other like bald men fighting over a comb, neither quite good enough to pull away, neither quite bad enough to properly panic yet.
Form’s been the usual mixed bag of “maybe we’ve turned a corner” followed immediately by “nope, same old problems”. A win here, a draw there, the odd defeat to keep us grounded. Five games without any real pattern emerging, which tracks perfectly for a season that’s felt like wading through treacle since Christmas. Peterborough are in the same boat, which at least means we’re not alone in our mediocrity. There’s comfort in shared misery.
The head-to-head record’s actually not terrible (ten wins from 22 meetings), but that feels like ancient history when you’re watching us try to string three passes together on a cold Tuesday night. These fixtures tend to deliver goals, averaging 2.7 per match historically, though whether that’s attacking prowess or defensive incompetence is open to interpretation. Given what we’ve seen this season, I’d lean towards the latter.
Oakwell’s supposed to be a fortress, or at least a mildly intimidating shed, but home advantage only counts if you actually turn up. The gaffer will no doubt demand effort and organisation, two things we occasionally remember to bring along. Peterborough aren’t going to roll over, mind you. They’ll fancy their chances, sitting just above us and looking at three points like it’s a free meal.
Prediction? 2-1 to us, apparently, with “high confidence”. I’ll believe that when I see it. This has 1-1 written in permanent marker all over it, complete with both sets of fans leaving thoroughly underwhelmed. Bring a coat and low expectations.