A perfect day for Bayley as international call-up follows a match-winning goal for Peterborough Sports
It was a red letter day for Bayley McCann as Peterborough Sports gained a first win of the National League North season to move off the bottom of the table.
The on-loan Barnsley wing-back scored the only goal of the game at Marine with a sumptuous free-kick strike – a speciality of his father Grant in his Peterborough United days – on the day he received a first call-up to the Northern Ireland Under 21 squad. Dad won 39 caps for his country.
McCann junior (19) is in the squad for a European Championship qualifying game in Georgia on September 9 and he will travel full of confidence after his match-winning 56th-minute strike in Liverpool, a curler from a 20-yard set-piece.
It was no more than Sports deserved after a strong display from a team that included new striker Theo Williams who arrived on loan from National League rivals King’s Lynn Town the day before the game.
Williams teed up strike partner Mark Jones for a fifth-minute shot that fizzed narrowly wide. Elliott Whitehouse also threatened from a similar position just two minutes later. Luca Miller created that opportunity and he again impressed when setting up Sam McLintock, but he also just missed the target from the edge of the area.
Sports continued to dominate with Williams just lobbing over the bar before also hitting the post. McCann’s corner was met by centre-back Ryan Fryatt, but the home ‘keeper saved.
Marine had created little, yet came close to opening the scoring soon after the break with a close-range shot from a cross, but then McCann’s magical moment gave Sports the lead they deserved.
The hosts immediately struck the crossbar from distance, but Sports’ keeper Peter Crook was forced into just the one late save from a near post header before the city side could celebrate a most welcome win.
Sports: Crook, Fox, Gash, Fryatt, Mensah (sub Boorth, 87 mins), Whitehouse, McLintock (sub Hickingbottom, 87 mins), McCann, Miller (sub Straughan-Brown, 68 mins), Jones, Williams (sub Dyer, 62 mins). Unused subs: Edwards, Powell, Cavallo.
Sports have been drawn away to lower level Wellingborough Town in the first round of the Northants Hillier Cup. The tie is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9 at the Dog & Duck Stadium (7.45pm kick off).