Posh 1, Doncaster 2 - Rovers return a sickener for Posh
THIS was a cruel kick in the nuts for Posh. A third straight win was thwarted by an ancient goalkeeper who ought to be wearing slippers rather than boots and a potentially valuable point was then denied them by a last-minute breakaway.
Championship match report: Peterborough United played better in this game than in the their back-to-back wins.
They certainly created more chances against a Doncaster side who rode their luck before stealing a victory that ought to have been beyond them.
That it wasn’t was down to 40 year-old keeper Neil Sullivan who denied Sergio Torres in the first-half and then Charlie Lee and Craig Mackail-Smith later on. In contrast Posh keeper Joe Lewis was an untroubled spectator for most of the match.
Lee did beat Sullivan with a 55th minute header from Tommy Rowe’s corner to give Posh the lead. It will be of scant consolation to Posh that it took a wonder strike from Gareth Roberts to breach a defence impressively marshalled again by Craig Morgan a dozen minutes later.
Match details:
POSH 1
DONCASTER 2
GOALS: Posh – Lee (55 mins). Doncaster – Roberts (67 mins), Oster (90 mins).
CAUTIONS: None.
REFEREE: Fred Graham (Essex) 7
ATTENDANCE: 6,773 (823 Doncaster)
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Roberts’ acrobatic volley screamed past Lewis and was a rare moment of quality from a side that can pass teams to distraction. They weren’t allowed to in this match as manager Jim Gannon’s tactical acumen again shone bright.
Gannon was denied the services of striker Aaron Mclean because of injury, but deployed Exodus Geohaghon as a man-marking midfielder.
On-loan Arsenal youngster Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was the subject of Geohaghon’s attention and the pair were at times closer than a old married couple.
Geohaghon did well in his primary role and even found the time and space to play some penetrating passes. He played so well Emanuel-Thomas should have been detailed to mark him after the break.
Geohaghon wasn’t involved in the best move of the opening half as Tommy Rowe and Craig Mackail-Smith combined in a 60-yard move to set up Torres. The Argentinian, who enjoyed some bright moments in the opening half, did the first part well by beating his defender, but he struck his shot into the ground enabling Sullivan to save easily.
Mackail-Smith had already headed over the bar after Geohaghon had nodded a Torres’ free-kick into his path, while Lee’s 25-yarder struck Sullivan’s gloves with venom.
Posh were creating the better opportunities, but Doncaster enjoyed long bouts of possession. They created little though with Joe Lewis forced to field just one low shot from Billy Sharp, although the Posh skipper was grateful to see a long-range snapshot from Martin Woods graze the top of the crossbar.
Posh started the second half just as brightly against a Rovers side that looked vulnerable under the high ball. Lee, Gaby Zakuani and Rowe all missed the target when well-placed before Roberts’ stunning equaliser.
Even then Posh looked the far superior side, but Sullivan tipped Mackail-Smith’s superb strike over the bar and the striker then dribbled his way into the area only for Lee to slide the chance over the bar.
Corners and throw-ins were launched into the Rovers penalty area and ironically it was from a set-play that the visitors broke away. James Coppinger and Sharp led the charge and the latter’s shot was tapped in at the far post by John Oster.
It was a sickening, and unjust blow.
Player ratings
Peterborough
JOE LEWIS 6
Beaten by a wonder striker and a breakaway, otherwise nothing to do
MARK LITTLE 5
Struggled in possession, not the attacking threat of the weekend
SCOTT GRIFFITHS 7
Won some big tackles, his best all-round effort for a while
CRAIG MORGAN 7
Imperious again, always popping up in the right place to clear
GABY ZAKUANI 7
No problems defensively, has formed a solid partnership with Morgan
SERGIO TORRES 6
No complaints about the effort and some good moments on the ball
EXODUS GEOHAGHON 8
Terrific job containing the dangerous Emanuel-Thomas, but also passed the ball well
CHARLIE LEE 7
Attacked the ball in the air with great determination, scored almost scored again
TOMMY ROWE 6
He’s starting to get more involved, some good set-pieces
CRAIG MACKAIL-SMITH 7
Tremendous commitment, worried the Doncaster defence throughout
LIAM DICKINSON 6
Worked hard, but hamstring injury ended his night at half-time
Subs:
Reuben Reid: (for Dickinson, 46 mins).
Josh Simpson: (for Torres, 81 mins).
Jamie Day: (not used).
Billy Crook: (not used).
Nathan Koranteng: (not used).
Dominic Green: (not used).
James McKeown: (not used).
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Weather for Peterborough
Thursday 09 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 16 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South west
