Crook helped Peterborough Sports pinch a point up North
Peterborough Sports joint-boss Michael Gash admits his side ‘got away with one’ in their National League North game at Curzon Ashton on Saturday.
Sports actually came within two minutes of winning at the team who started the day in second place. Dion Sembie-Ferris scored direct from a free kick in the 78th minute after which Curzon were reduced to 10 men, but they manufactured one last scoring chance which they took to force a 1-1 draw. And that was the least they deserved according to honest boss Gash who thanked his goalkeeper Peter Crook for a point that kept Sports in 17th place.
“We got away with one,” Gash said. “We didn’t perform at all well so hardly hurt them at all and we have Peter to thank for the point. They are a very good footballing side who created plenty of chances, but Peter made some great saves. You get games like this sometimes. We just passed the ball poorly, but if you stay in the game somehow you never know what will happen and we almost ended up winning.
"Dion scored from a great free-kick and it was a shame we couldn’t hold on for the three points, especially as they went a man down, but we’d have settled for a point against such a good side before the game and with the way we played we should take the draw and move on.”
Sports now move on to two cup ties with a Northants Hillier Senior Cup first round tie against Peterborough United Under 21s at PIMS Park on Tuesday (September 24, 7.45pm) and then an FA Cup third qualifying round tie at lower level Royston Town on Saturday (September 28, 3pm).
Gash and joint boss Luke Steele would love to make changes for the Posh game, but they are restricted by the number of injuries in a relatively small squad. Elliot Putman, Oisin Gallagher and Kaine Felix were all absent yesterday and key centre-back Ryan Fryatt was only fit enough for the bench leaving Sports to name two substitute goalkeepers for the second successive match. They are trying to sign a player on loan before next weekend.
"We might be able to make a couple of changes on Tuesday,” Gash added. “But it is a game we want to win anyway. We are a small club for our level and we just have to get on with it when we get injuries. It’s not ideal, but we’ve picked up four points from two tough away games with a depleted squad so credit to the lads for that.
"We certainly won’t be taking Royston lightly. It’s the FA Cup so anything could happen and they had a great result yesterday when they beat Banbury.”
Posh hope to give midfielder Ryan De Havilland a run out on Tuesday. He has yet to make an appearance this season because of injury.