This blog gives you the chance to vent your joy, anger, frustration, and all the other emotions that the club no doubt puts you through...and what's even better, people who actually care about the trouble of supporting The Posh will listen to you. I say this as I am currently living in Stoke, and not surprisingly find it hard to find many Peterborough fans, in fact just the one (love you Thom!)
So, onto Saturday’s game...
After a miserable midweek draw away at bottom of the table Crewe, Peterborough again found themselves facing one of the sides in the relegation zone of League One in the form of Hereford United.
The early signs were promising, Chris Whelpdale came close to scoring within three minutes, but his shot was smashed over the bar. A few minutes later it was looking even better for Peterborough as one of the few recognisable names in the away side, former Bolton defender Bruno N'Gotty, was stretchered off with what seemed like a pretty serious achilles injury.
From there the performance inexplicably began to dip for Posh, a combination of sloppy passing, and a referee who was frustrating everyone with his constant need to blow the whistle for seemingly anything, left the atmosphere around London Road very nervy. Even the usually majestic George Boyd was disappointing; in fact the most impressive Peterborough player in the early stages was Gabriel Zakuani, who since his arrival in the back four, has yet to be in a losing Peterborough side.
On the half hour mark, Peterborough were rewarded a somewhat controversial penalty (but hey were Posh fans so it was a DEFINITE penalty) when Hereford defender Dean Beckwith, who replaced N’Gotty, handled the ball whilst on the floor. The Hereford players were fuming with the linesman who gave the decision, and as a result three of their players were cautioned by the card-happy ref. I have to say at this point the referee was reminding me of the guy off of Balls of Steel if any of you have seen it...if not you should see it because it’s funny!
Anyway, after what seemed like forever with the arguing, the referee writing half of the away team in his book, and a rather childish Hereford player who booted the ball off of the penalty spot as Craig Mackail-Smith placed it, the penalty was finally taken...and saved!
Fortunately for Mackail-Smith, Hereford keeper Darren Rudolph, sorry Randolph (my mate and Mr. Randolph had an ongoing argument along those lines in the first half) couldn’t hold on to the ball and Mackail-Smith fired home the rebound.
The penalty itself summed up the first half as a whole for Posh, a bit scrappy, not very clinical, and ultimately a bit lucky.
Hereford began the second half impressively and it was Taylor who had a great chance to level for the visitors on 53 minutes, but he saw his shot smash into the side netting.
As the second half drifted by without many chances, quality, or action to get excited about there were just a few signs that the home crowd were getting edgy that their side was not securing the victory with more ease, and then George Boyd stepped up his game.
The winger was having one of his quietest games of the season until he picked up the ball on the right wing, and after terrorising the full back he delivered an inch perfect cross on to the head of Mackail-Smith who simply nodded the ball past Rudolph (it’s much better than Randolph), to score his 12th goal of the season.
The rest of the game was seen out without too much to mention. Peterborough showing real promotion potential by playing no better than average, but at the same time easing to three points which put them in 6th position in the table, and stretch their unbeaten run to 11 games in the league.
Player ratings
Peterborough – Lewis (7), Martin (6), Williams (6), Morgan (6), Zakuani (8), Whelpdale (5) (Batt (6)), Boyd (6), Coutts (7), Lee (6), Mackail-Smith (7), Mclean (6)(Torres (6)). Subs not used – McKeown, Westwood, Hyde.
Hereford – Randolph, Rose, Diagouraga, Taylor, Smith, Guinan (Williams), Hudson-Odoi, Easton (Done), Gwynne, Broadhurst, N’Gotty (Beckwith). Subs not used – Samson, O’Leary.
Attendance : 6,087 (188 Hereford fans).
1 comment:
All the best for the blog.
Cheers,
Chris AKA Crun
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