Festive frustration for Peterborough Sports at Pims Park as the woodwork and an inspired goalkeeper deny the city side victory
Peterborough Sports suffered festive frustration as they failed to put distance between themselves and the National League North relegation zone on Tuesday night.
Sports, who came into the game on the back of a decent display and a creditable 2-2 Boxing Day draw at King’s Lynn, dominated proceedings against fellow strugglers Oxford City at PIMS Park, but could not find the goal they deserved.
A 0-0 draw does mean Sports greet 2026 from a place of safety, one place outside the relegation zone, ahead of a visit from 10th placed Marine on Saturday (3pm kick off). The city side are outside the bottom four on goal difference.
But it should have been a slightly more comfortable buffer as Sports hit the woodwork twice in the first-half while also finding visiting goalkeeper Jamie Pardington in decent form.
Sports started quickly as Sam McLintock tested Pardington in the fourth minute after linking up with Luca Miller and Connor Wood. Pardington then saved well from Wood on 17 minutes.
Five minutes later Pardington again excelled by getting a fingertip onto a fierce Wood strike which pushed the ball onto a post. City came into the game leading up to half-time with Josh Parker twice forcing Sports keeper Peter Crook into good stops.
But on the stroke of half-time Sports again struck a post, this time via the head of Mark Jones from a Wood corner.
Sports bossed the ball in the second-half, but still couldn’t find a breakthrough. Miller and McLintock both shot narrowly wide before substitute Shaq Coulthirst saw a goalbound shot deflected wide by a defender after good work from Jez Davies.
The game rather petered out after that leaving Sports frustrated at a fifth league game in a row without a win. A victory would appear essential on Saturday as the following two matches are away to two of the top three.
Sports: Crook, Powell (sub Faakye, 13 mins), Oakley, Willis, Stewart, Wood, Whitehouse, McLintock, Miller, Davies (sub Booth, 89 mins), Jones (sub Coulthirst, 72 mins). Unused subs: Edwards, Carayol, Joshua. Mensah.