Peterborough Sports delivered on all fronts to claim a surprise National League North win
Peterborough Sports boss Phil Brown asked for passion, pride and running power after three straight defeats in National League North, and my word his players delivered it all at PIMS Park
On a foul afternoon, and on a pitch that survived a couple of pre-match inspections, Sports beat in-form promotion chasers Radcliffe 3-0 to jump out of the relegation zone.
Sports also kept their composure better as the visitors suffered two red cards, one before the interval when the city side led 1-0 through a Ben Beresford goal and another 25 minutes from time after substitute Elliott Whitehouse had made it 2-0 to the home side. Another sub Maliq Cadogan completed the scoring in the final minute.
Sports will look to build on this success when hosting Bedford Town on Tuesday (November 25, 7.45pm).
The visitors missed an early headed chance from a corner in the third minute, but Sports slowly took control of the game and Mustapha Carayol and Sam Straughan-Brown came close before Beresford struck from close range on 21 minutes after the Radcliffe ‘keeper had saved well from Dan Jarvis and LUca Miller.
Radcliffe rallied, but Jordan Hulme received his second yellow card of the half in the final when he was adjudged to have dived in the penalty area. The visitors should have equalised in added time though when Wigan Athletic loanee K’Marni Miller went round Sports’ ‘keeper Peter Crook, but fired into the side-netting.
And it proved to be a crucial miss as on 57 minutes Whitehouse, a 40th min sub for Carayol, redirected a Miller shot into the net for 2-0. Rio Clegg was then dismissed after an off-the-ball incident leaving Sports to cruise through the final quarter to ensure a first clean sheet since Brown arrived at the club.
Aaron Powell and Miller were close to adding a third goal before Cadogan struck by racing clear of a tired defence to slot the ball home.
Sports: Crook, Powell, Oakley (sub Davies, 83 mins), Wood, Stewart, Carayol (sub Whitehouse, 40 mins), Straughan-Brown, Jarvis (sub Cadogan 71 mins), Miller (sub McLintock 95 mins), Beresford, Jones (sub Coulthirst 63 mins).
Unused subs: Edwards, Joshua.