Posh have an arrogant swagger and can look too laid back, but they also boast enough attacking firepower to knock out limited opponents at will.

Macclesfield on the other hand try and play pretty football, but lack any punch at all - to paraphrase 'The Greatest' they sting like a butterfly.

The home side had the edge in possession in the first half, but even with Francis Green, possibly because his orange boots were dazzling defenders, at his liveliest, they rarely looked like breaching this much-improved Posh rearguard.

But with a strong wind at their backs after the break, Posh put on a finishing clinic which eased them to their sixth win in seven League Two matches.

George Boyd started it with a goal inside 60 seconds of the re-start following a Chris Whelpdale long throw and the boy from Billericay and top scorer Aaron Mclean completed the scoring with finishes of the highest quality.

Whelpdale can certainly be pleased with his effort, a curling 25-yarder just past the hour mark which was just his second of the season.

Mclean now has 27 and no wonder after he emerged from a pretty ropey personal display to kill a high ball forward from Chris Westwood with one touch before drilling a firm shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the area 18 minutes from time.

"That sort of finish has always been in my locker," insisted Whelpdale. "It's just been at the back of it! I'm sure there is more to come."

That comment might concern a few League Two defences as a lack of goals from Whelpdale has been about the only weakness in the Posh attacking arsenal.

They've even added to it with the recent additions of Liam Hatch and Scott Rendell, both of whom were granted a 15-minute run-out and might have added to the final scoreline.

Hatch missed the ball completely from close range and shot just wide after a surging run into the area and debutant Rendell nodded a late corner over the crossbar.

It finished as a one-sided affair, but Macclesfield actually played well in the first half when they had a strong breeze at their backs.

The home side mixed their play up by playing in front of a Posh back four which included third-choice left-back Danny Blanchett or by trying to turn them. Neither tactic proved successful despite numerous set-pieces.

Posh goalkeeper Joe Lewis was largely untested as Westwood and Craig Morgan stood firm as did Blanchett and Claude Gnakpa, a full-back in serious danger of becoming a cult hero.

Gnakpa can look casual and disinterested (his sloppiness earned him a caution) but on song he is an awesome presence, strong as an ox, but also quick and skilful when charging forward.

Maccesfield danger man Danny Thomas certainly didn't look too interested in taking his man on and Posh trooped off the field at the break confident that they would win the game with the elements in their favour.

That likelihood turned into a definite once Boyd had cleverly converted at the far post after the presence of Morgan and Lee at a long throw had unsettled the home defence.

That's the third time since Christmas that Boyd has scored in the opening exchanges after the interval (Colchester and Chesterfield were the others) and maybe that pre re-start drill organised by fitness coach Ben McKenzie is a more vital exercise than anyone had imagined.


Match facts

MACCLESFIELD 0
POSH 3

Boyd (46 mins), Whelpdale (62 mins), Mclean (73 mins).

Referee: Steve Bratt (West Midlands) 7
Attendance: 2,094 (468 Posh).

MACCLESFIELD
Jonathan Brain 7
Izak Reid 7
Neil Ashton 6
Ryan Cresswell 6
Sean Hessey 6
Levi Reid 5
Jamie Tolley 6
James Ashmore 6
Danny Thomas 5
Francis Green 6
Gareth Evans 5

Subs
Michael Symes: (for Green, 45 mins).
Luke Dimech: (for Hessey, 52 mins).
Nick Blackman: (for Ashmore, 62 mins).
Tommy Lee: (not used).
Richard Edghill: (not used).

Yellow cards:
Posh - Lee (dissent), Gnakpa (foul).