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Peterborough Telegraph sports reporter Alan Swann delivers his verdict on Posh striker and Pompey target Matt Godden...

Peterborough have just signed Mo Eisa for a club-record £1m from Bristol City, with chairman Darragh MacAnthony talking how he and Ivan Toney can be the best strikeforce in League One.

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Taking that into account, Matt Godden is going to be a back-up next season. I feel they would sell him – if they can get enough.

In fairness, last year was Godden’s first at League One level, other than as a youngster at Scunthorpe, and he ended up with 18 goals.

Recruited from Stevenage for £425,000 in the summer of 2018, he didn’t do too badly, even scoring a minute into his debut against Bristol Rovers.

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He carried on scoring in the first half of the season, registering 14 by Christmas – but netted just four times afterwards.

Godden lost his way a bit, was singled out for criticism by former boss Steve Evans, which he has hinted affected him a bit, and then didn't end the campaign too badly.

He’s a good finisher, not the biggest, although has a big spring so isn’t bad in the air, but his biggest problem is a lack of pace.

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Pompey target Matt Godden (facing camera) celebrates a Peterborough goal against Bristol Rovers. (Picture: Joe Dent/JMP)Pompey target Matt Godden (facing camera) celebrates a Peterborough goal against Bristol Rovers. (Picture: Joe Dent/JMP)
Pompey target Matt Godden (facing camera) celebrates a Peterborough goal against Bristol Rovers. (Picture: Joe Dent/JMP)

The lad isn’t quick and never at any stage formed a good partnership with Toney, who also doesn’t have pace. They ended up playing one or the other most of the time.

It was a Peterborough team which challenged for the top during the opening third of the season before falling away a bit, with Godden also following a similar pattern.

Evans was fairly rigid in a 4-4-2 for the first half of the season, with Godden partnering Jason Cummings, and they were dynamite early on.

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Darren Ferguson came in and tried to change to a midfield diamond, which didn’t work, before going to a 4-2-3-1.

That was trying to get our gifted midfielders – Siriki Dembele, Marcus Maddison and Lee Tomlin – on the pitch at the same time.

Godden was the one up top on occasions, but it didn’t really work.

Peterborough did pick up towards the season’s end, but it wasn’t a lot to do with Godden.

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