Deadly Dan bounces back to set Peterborough Sports on the way to a vital victory
Dan Jarvis bounced back from his FA Cup disappointment to set Peterborough Sports on their way to a vital National League North win over Marine at PIMS Park on Saturday.
Jarvis was only man to miss a penalty in the shootout defeat against Rushall Olympic four days earlier which denied his side a place in the FA Cup first round for the first time in the club’s history.
No-one was blaming Jarvis, a regular matchwinner for the club, but he eased his pain and frustration with the first goal in a 2-0 Saturday success, a result that lifted the city side up two places to 17th and kept Marine in the bottom four. Crucially Jarvis struck just three minutes after the visitors had missed a71st-minute chance to strike first when firing wide from the penalty spot. Dion Sembie-Ferris clinched the win in added time.
Sports can make further progress on Tuesday when they visit Farsley Celtic who are level on points with them in the table, although they might have to do without on-loan Lincoln City defender MJ Kamson-Kamara who left today’s game early because of injury.
It was the visitors who settled the better against a team who looked leggy after their 120-minute slog in the Cup. A Michael Gash error led to a snapshot over the bar, but the player-manager also reacted smartly to snuff out another half-chance.
It developed into an end-to-end affair for the rest of the half with Elliott Putman sending a half volley into the ‘keepers’ hands and Jack Goodman twice going close for Sports.
Ten minutes into the second-half Jarvis thought he had scored, but the ball was scrambled off the goalline before home ‘keeper Peter Crook made a fabulous stop to keep out a 20-yard drive. Substitute Matt Tootle’s handball offence in the area gave Marine their golden opportunity to score first, but it was spurned and Jarvis was soon wriggling through at the other end to give his side the lead.
Sports were pretty comfortable after that and sealed victory when Oisin Gallagher sent Sembie-Ferris clear.
Sports: Crook, Kamson-Kamara (sub Tootle, 14 mins), Putman, Fryatt, Gash, Lawlor, Gallagher, Van Lier (sub Gyasi, 65 mins), Jarvis (sub Alban-Jones, 89 mins), Sembie-Ferris, Goodman (sub Felix, 77 mins). Unused sub: Elsom.