Calm and assured Will Blackmore praised as illness rules out two Peterborough United goalkeepers

Will Blackmore made his first league start for Peterborough United against Charlton on Boxing Day. Photo: Joe Dent.

Will Blackmore stepped in and gave a calm and assured performance on Boxing Day according to his manager Grant McCann.

Blackmore was brought in for a surprise first league start for the club at The Valley in the 1-1 draw.

Despite the 21-year-old being older than both Lucas Bergstrom and Harvey Cartwright (both 20), Blackmore finds himself behind the loanee pair in the pecking order but did his cause no harm with a strong Boxing Day display.

He was called upon with Bergstrom and Cartwright both suffering from illness in the week leading up to the match as well as their own form and injury concerns respectively.

Blackmore’s only previous league appearance came as an 83rd minute substitute against Doncaster on the final day of the 2020/21 season.

In praise of his stopper, McCann said: “It was his full league debut and you wouldn’t have known that seeing him. He was calm, assured and he’s made a couple of really good saves at crucial moments. I’m really pleased with him.

"When I told him, he was really delighted. I was pleased with his performance today, he did what he had to do.”

McCann also revealed that regular number one Bergstrom was not in any real condition to appear in the match, despite being named on the bench and that Cartwright had yet to receive the final all-clear after his latest thigh problem.

Both keepers were present for the warm-up at The Valley.

He said: “The two goalkeepers have been ill this week. Both Bergstrom and Cartwright missed some training days. Lucas is still feeling under the weather. Harvey hadn’t completed his long-range kicking tests this week because of the illness so we couldn’t take a risk with him.

“We brought him so he could do those here rather than exposing him to the game and him potentially pulling his thigh. I’d imagine both would be ok for MK but Will was really, really good.

"Lucas was nowhere near. It was a risk putting him on the bench. He’s still coughing and spluttering with the cold and flu that is going about the place at the minute. Joel Randall is the same, he hasn’t been in all week. It’s going through the camp a little bit so we’re hoping to keep people available for the next couple of games.”