Peterborough Sports collect another point on the road in close Scarborough encounter

An entertaining pre-Christmas tussle saw Peterborough Sports take a second minute lead through Kaine Felix but Scarborough drew level early in the second half, thanks to a penalty, and neither side could find a winner as the game ended 1-1.

The point means that Sports now sit 15th in the table, a whole ten points clear of safety with the league almost at the halfway point.

Sports were ahead within two minutes, when a ball forward from the lively Dan Jarvis fell to Kaine Felix inside the area, and he coolly chipped over Ryan Whitley to open the scoring and stun the home crowd.

Scarborough attempted to hit back quickly. Luca Colville jinked past two defenders before firing over, then a fantastic long diagonal pass from Lewis Maloney towards Jack Waldron on the right was intercepted by the excellent Eliot Putman, before Boro almost drew level on 20 minutes when a fierce 30-yard strike from Richie Bennett was pushed round the post by flying keeper Peter Crook. Waldron teed up Colville, but Crook gathered his low shot, and Alex Wiles and Harry Green both went on mazy dribbles.

For Sports, Will Van Lier burst onto a through-ball from Ryan Fryatt, but was halted by a Dom Tear tackle. Boro were dominating possession, and a Harry Green cross was met by Bennett, whose shot was blocked by imposing player-manager Michael Gash, Green chested into the path of Colville, who swivelled to shoot goalwards, but Green pulled off a superb save down to his left as Sports retained their lead into the interval.

There was good football from both sides after the break, Maloney sending free kick from the left, into the chest of Crook, then for the visitors, Oisin Gallagher passed to Michael Gyasi, whose strike was blocked by Kieran Weledji.

Scarborough equalised on 49 minutes when Colville’s ball from the byeline led to a goalmouth scramble. The ref spotted a handball, and Maloney sent Crook the wrong way from the penalty spot. The pace and trickery of Colville and Green created further chances. A Green shot was blocked by Gash, Waldron had a shot blocked by Bayley McCann, and Kieran Glynn, on from the bench, headed wide from a Green cross.

Kieran Glynn was back to his best, and his fantastic ball into the area led to Green being fouled by McCann, with the ref again pointing to the spot on 69 minutes, but this time Maloney blazed over from twelve yards.

Sports created some good chances, Gallagher just failed to tap home from a Jarvis ball across the box, a Jarvis shot was easily dealt with by Whitley, the Scarborough keeper then made a superb diving save to keep out a curling free-kick from Hugh Alban-Jones, Max Booth headed over, and Jono Bland raced clear, but was stopped by Will Thornton’s timely tackle.

Booth went down under a challenge from Thornton, but penalty appeals were waived away. Late on, Maloney fired wide for Boro, and in the end a draw was probably a fair result, both sides remaining in midtable.