Steven Schumacher was delighted to end a ‘crazy week’ with something to show for it as Wanderers steadied the ship with a fighting performance at Peterborough, writes Pete Oliver.
Schumacher was without a dozen senior players for the trip to London Road but handed a league debut to 19-year-old defender Sam Inwood and saw the teenager rise to the occasion in a performance that fully merited a point from a 1-1 draw.
Late chances meant it could have been more but Schumacher’s men at least ended a four-game losing run to head into the final week of the season with a note of optimism.
“We said we didn't want to lose five in a row,” said the Whites’ boss. “We didn’t want to lose four in a row, so there was definitely something on it. We asked the players to stick together and play like a team, because we knew it was going to be a difficult afternoon.
“I thought we were excellent, the way we defended, the way we went after them and turned the ball over so many times and, in the end, maybe we should have won it. It's probably the only sour note that we didn't come away with three points, especially after conceding two soft penalties as well.
“The lads didn't deserve to lose that game, the way we played, the way we pressed, the way we passed the ball at times. We could have been a bit more clinical in front of goal but it was a much more positive afternoon and, again, the biggest positive is the young players. They were all outstanding.
“We had 10 senior outfield players to pick from and Sam Inwood. So it was a crazy week, but we've ended it with a real positive note and all the players today who played deserve full credit. They were brilliant and, again, I think our travelling fans deserve that type of performance.
“I think they probably sense that we should have won that game as well and that's what we wanted. We will take that into next week now. We want to finish the season at home with a good performance and hopefully three points to what we didn't manage to get today.”
As well as a debut for Inwood, Schumacher also gave a first taste of senior football to youth-team players Daeshon Lawrence and, late on, Harrison Rice. Lawrence, 18, was a handful in the closing stages, while Inwood completed an outstanding 90 minutes in which the left-sided central defender barely put a foot wrong.
“You never know if somebody good enough until you put them in, so we told George Johnson to stay at home and look after his missus and the new baby, which hopefully has arrived today,” added Schumacher.
“Sam is calm and composed. He’s trained every day with the first team since we’ve been here and he's never let himself down, and today he showed he was a really good player.
“I've just said to him, he won’t come up against many more difficult forward lines than what he did today against Peterborough. He was outstanding and then to finish the game with four young players on the pitch, four academy graduates, was brilliant.”
Watch the full post-match interview with the head coach on Wanderers TV