Posh 2, Middlesbrough 2 - Batt blasts Boro boys with late equaliser
IT'S often said of mercurial performers that if they themselves aren't sure of what they are doing what chance does an opponent have?
IT'S often said of mercurial performers that if they themselves aren't sure of what they are doing what chance does an opponent have?Such a moment arrived 15 minutes from the end of this Championship clash which saw Middlesbrough, like so many before them this season, comfortably holding on to a one-goal advantage against Posh.
Sure, new manager Mark Cooper was getting plenty of effort and commitment from his side, but an equaliser seemed as likely as a December drought until substitute Shaun Batt found a ball bouncing invitingly at his feet 25 yards from goal.
With no support and faced with a red wall of defenders, Batt pulled his foot back and prepared to shoot. Diners in the nearby Kentucky instinctively started to duck, but instead the ball flew unerringy into the roof of Boro's net to provide plucky Posh with their second equaliser of the match.
It's tempting to call Batt a one-hit wonder, except this former triple jump champion did something very similar in Swindon last season. "I can't say you've come on leaps and bounds then," said one sharp-witted reporter afterwards.
Match details:
GOALS: Posh - Boyd (54 mins), Batt (76 mins).
Middlesbrough - Kitson (28 mins & 58 mins).
CAUTIONS: Posh - Mclean (persistent fouling), Batt (celebrating a goal in the crowd).
REFEREE: David Phillips (Sussex) 5
ATTENDANCE: 10,772.
Consistency has eluded Batt in his brief Posh career, but the honest hard work has always been there and no-one should begrudge him his golden moment or his team a potentially valuable point.
But equally no-one should be getting carried away. It's still just two wins from 18 Championship matches, Posh remain bottom and there were times during this clash against an out-of-form Boro side when only goalkeeper Joe Lewis stood between the visitors and three easy points.
There is however much to admire about Cooper's first couple of weeks in charge. He's shown a willingness to act on some glaring weaknesses in defence for a start and the deployment of the team's most natural defender Gaby Zakuani at right-back to nullify the threat of thrill-seeking winger Adam Johnson at least showed he isn't going to rely on the club's Holy Trinity to shoot his side out of trouble.
Think of how good George Boyd would be if he had a blistering turn of pace and you get some idea of Johnson's talent and yet it was in evidence only sparingly in a second-half dominated by Boro.
His fierce cross which enabled Dave Kitson to power home a far post header and restore Boro's advantage five minutes after they'd lost it was as memorable as Batt's goal.
Kitson had also opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Lewis produced a fine save from Johnson only for the ball to fall kindly for the visiting striker.
Boyd equalised with an excellent 54th minute goal following a sublime pass from impressive new left-back Scott Griffiths, but it always felt like Boro would open Posh up enough times to win the match.
Lewis had denied Lita when the striker was clean through in the early stages and he defied him again early in the second half with a fine full-length dive. Lita also headed badly wide during one particularly dominant second-half spell.
With Zakuani shifted to full-back, room was made (and to be fair he needs plenty of room) for new recruit Exodus Geohaghon to start alongside Ryan Bennett, a 19 year-old star of the future.
The jury will still be deliberating Geohaghon's defensive worth as someone who had been promoted three levels higher than's he's ever experienced looked understandably bewildered by some of the movement of Lita and Kitson.
But the famed long-throw, or 'The Exodus Exocet' as it should become known, drew a standing ovation as early as the fourth minute, which was proof of how little there has been to cheer this season.
The colossal chuck certainly caused problems to a jittery goalkeeper although the danger arrived from poor clearances rather than flick-ons from major target Bennett. Lee Frecklington and Aaron Mclean each fired wide from the edge of the box, but Boyd's goal also arrived from a cleared throw-in which was returned into the area.
Posh also had a major slice of luck for a change as referee David Phillips, a policeman, appeared to miss a blatant Boro penalty five minutes from the end. Aaron Mclean's challenge on Sean St Ledger was bad enough to have caught the attention of Phillips doing his day job, but incredibly play continued much to the amusement of Posh fans, whose caustic comments confirmed they still view ythe club's former player St Ledger as the ugly face of football,
Boro boss Gordon Strachan, who is doing a fine job in bucking the adage that new managers prompt better results, was predictably rather less amused although he blamed God as well as the officials, and he didn't mean Boyd.
As a team sinned against regularly this season, Posh will take their good fortune as they will take the absence of Batt next week.
Batt will miss out after reaching the suspension threshold of five yellow cards for celebrating his wonder strike too closely to his own fans. The same referee cautioned no-one despite being mobbed by a possee of visiting players after failing to award their late spot-kick.
If those instances are correct in football law, then the law is a bigger ass than Katie Price.
Sunday news: Posh face Spurs in the FA Cup 3rd round.
Player ratings:
Peterborough United
Joe Lewis: Two fine saves to deny lively Leroy Lita, playing his most consistent football of Posh career 7
Gaby Zakuani: Did a sound job on Adam Johnson until limping off with injury 6
Scott Griffiths: Quality left foot set up first goal and has the pace to defend well 7
Ryan Bennett: He's a very composed footballer for a teenager, covered others sensibly as well 8
Exodus Geohaghon: Can be pleased with the first Football League game of his career, long throw is a big weapon 6
Toumani Diagouraga: Helped to snuff out any midfield threat from Boro 6
Lee Frecklington: Currently seeing a lot of the ball and generally uses it well 6
Tommy Rowe: Worked hard on either flank, glimpses of quality 6
George Boyd: Quality strike from the captain and some dangerously whipped in set-pieces 7
Craig Mackail-Smith: Often left with no support up front, but ran his heart out as usual 6
Aaron Mclean: Won every header against bigger opponent first-half, great attitude to the game 6
Substitutes:
Charlie Lee: (for Zakuani, 60 mins), Shaun Batt: (for Rowe, 67 mins), not used: Paul Coutts, Dean Keates, James McKeown, Dominic Green, Josh Simpson.
Middlesbrough:
Brad Jones 5
Tony McMahon 5
Emanuel Pogatetz 6
Sean St Ledger 6
David Wheater 6
Julio Arca 5
Isaiah Osbourne 6
Mark Yeates 6
Dave KItson 7
Adam Johnson 7
Leroy Lita 8
Substitutes:
Justin Hoyte: (for Yeates, 75 mins), not used: Andrew Taylor, Chris Riggott, Didier Digard, Marvin Emnes, Marcus Bent, Danny Coyne.
Match preview:
Posh boss Cooper tells his players to show where they belong.
Preview: Posh v Middlesbrough: star man, players to watch.
Mackail-Smith: Boro will be a massive test.
Sean St Ledger: An Irish hero but a Posh villain.
Strachan: My side are just starting to come good.
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