Peterborough Sports lost their National League game at Brackley in the opening seven minutes

The hosts recorded a 2-0 win after scoring twice in the opening seven minutes. It was a sixth straight win for the team in second who have now caught leaders King’s Lynn Town at the top of the table. Sports are down to 16th and just four points clear of the drop zone ahead of a vital all-ticket game against struggling Boston United at the Bee Arena on Saturday (November 5, 3pm).

Callum Stead was responsible for both goals, first turning in a perfect through ball from Riccardo Calder in the fourth minute and then finishing off a slick move three minutes later with former Stamford AFC winger Cosmos Matwasa supplying the final pass.

And against a team that hadn’t scored in their previous four matches it was effectively game over, although to their credit Sports didn’t buckle against a team transformed by the arrival of former Birmingham City, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Richard Johnson as manager.

Right winger Matwasa was a constant threat to a Sports side shorn of a handful of key players including left-back Nathan Fox. One thrilling run looked set to be rewarded with a goal, but he slipped as he shot.

Sporrts were dominated in the first-half, but improved markedly after the break, especially after substitutes Michael Gash and Maniche Sani were sent on.

They both went reasonably close in the final stages after a Dion Sembie-Ferris cross had caused concern in the home defence around the hour mark.

But it was comfortable for Brackley in front of a 392 crowd with Sports’ keeper Peter Crook doing well to beat out a Jimmy Armson header, following another Matwasa cross.

Sports: Crook, Doorbar-Baptiste, Bazeley, Fryatt, Johnson, Lawlor, Kennedy, McCammon (sub Sani), Sembie-Ferris, M. Jones (sub Gash), Keller.