Peterborough Sports are out of the relegation zone after thrilling comeback win over FA Cup heroes Macclesfield Town
Peterborough Sports staged a thrilling comeback to beat Macclesfield Town 4-3 at PIMS Park on Tuesday night to move out of the National League North relegation zone.
Sports trailed 3-1 with five minutes to go to half-time, but they pulled a goal back before the break and then scored twice in three minutes midway through the second-half to claim a second straight win.
It was enough to move Sports up to 20th, one place and one point above the drop zone ahead of away games at Chorley (Saturday) and second-placed Fylde on Tuesday, February 3.
The FA Cup heroes from Macclesfield were awarded a penalty in the sixth minute as Connor Wood was adjudged to have bought down Luke Duffy. Duffy stepped up for the spot-kick and fired past Sports ‘keeper Pete Crook.
But ‘The Turbines’ responded well and Max Booth capitalised on a mistake from visiting ‘keeper Max Dearnley who advanced out of his box and missed the ball, allowing Booth to slot into an empty net from 30 yards.
The goals kept coming with the visitors regaining their lead on 19 minutes as Duffy’s low ball across the face of goal was directed into his own net by Birmingham City loanee Zach Willis.
Phil Brown’s side reacted well as Shaq Coulthirst volleyed Sam McLintock’s cross inches wide of the post, but ‘The Silkmen extended their lead on 37 minutes as Duffy’s curling effort was deflected by Max Booth over Crook and into the net.
Crucially Sports soon clawed a goal back as Luca Miller collected at the far post before seeing a curling effort deflect into the left corner.
The hosts saw more chances in the second half, and on the hour mark came close to an equaliser as Marcel Oakley’s pin-point cross was volleyed inches wide of the post by Coulthirst.
Minutes later, Sports did level as tidy footwork from Miller set him free from his marker. He fed in-form Coulthirst – the scorer of a hat-trick at the weekend – who scored from just inside the penalty area.
And three minutes later the comeback was complete as Wood’s in-swinging corner was nodded in at the near post by Mustapha Carayol.
Sports: Crook, Oakley, Willis, Hickingbottom, Wood, Carayol (sub 77 mins, Faakye), McLintock (sub 75 mins, Straughan-Brown), Davies, Miller, Booth (sub 77 mins, Cadogan), Coulthirst (sub 84 mins, Jeffers).
Unused Subs: Edwards, Felix, Joshua.
Macclesfield: Dearnley, Fensome, Menayese, Buckley-Ricketts, Mellor, Duffy, Heathcote, Lacey (sub 69 mina, Borthwick-Jackson), Osborne, Kay (sub 66 mina, Dos Santos), Edmondson (sub 66 mina, Gale).
Attendance: 360.