Late Jonson Clarke-Harris show adds gloss to Peterborough United victory over battling Deeping Rangers

Posh came into the hastily arranged match at short notice on Tuesday night following the cancellation of a planned behind closed doors friendly against Football League opposition. Deeping gladly stepped into the void and put up a gallant show, characterised by organised defence, energy and a willingness to put their bodies on the line. An excellent crowd of 1044 turned out to watch the entertaining battle.

It was not until the second half though, when Posh injected pace with an entire new XI, that they began to make their possession really pay. The introduction of Kwame Poku, David Ajiboye, Ricky-Jade Jones, with the aerial ability of Clarke-Harris to get on the end of their deliveries, was too much for the non-league side to handle. Until then, Posh largely found their path to goal blocked.

Posh lined up with one side for an hour and a second for the final half an hour, which will then start at Stevenage on Wednesday (July 13). The side that began the match lined up in a favoured formation of Grant McCann at Hull City, a 4-3-3; Joel Randall and Joe Taylor lined up either side of Jack Marriott.

Posh dominated the ball throughout the first half, as was to be expected from a side that play five divisions above their opponents, but Deeping Rangers held their own well, putting in a series of fantastic blocks to keep the scores level at 0-0 until the 34th minute.

The best of those came when a mixture of keeper Dan Swan and one of his defenders managed to block three separate efforts from Joe Taylor. Ben Mensah also went close when he poked an effort wide from the edge of the box.

When the deadlock broken, Posh did need a bit of good fortune. When Joel Randall unleashed a shot from the left edge of the box, it took a wicked deflection that looped up over Swan and left him helpless.

The second nearly came just five minutes from the break in much more spectacular fashion when Jack Marriott tried an audacious overhead kick; his effort from the edge of the box was only just wide of the post.

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first, with Posh finding themselves frustrated until the fresh legs on the hour mark proved crucial against the tiring Deeping legs.

First, in the 75th minute Poku make up for a glaring open goal miss just moments earlier with magical feet on the left-edge of the box to beat two men before slotting through the legs of Dan Swan, who had an excellent game.

The keeper went add to his tally of saves throughout the match with impressive saves from Josh Knight and Jones one-on-one and Luke Hunnings then cleared off a Clarke-Harris effort off the line before Swan was beaten for a third time by a well-placed header from Clarke-Harris. The ball in from Ajiboye found the striker, who had peeled off his marker.

Clarke-Harris added more gloss to the scoreline with the final kick of the game after a melee from a corner saw him free to poke home on the line.

Posh first 60 minutes: Bergstrom, Tomlinson, Kent, Knight, Mensah, Fuchs, Jack Taylor, Broom, Randall, Joe Taylor, Marriott

Posh last 30 minutes: Cartwright, McGlinchey, Edwards, Thompson, Ward, Kyprianou, Ajiboye, Jones, Poku, Burrows, Clarke-Harris

Deeping Rangers: Dan Swan, Jack Bloodworth, Ross Watson, Luke Hunnings, Dan Flack, Spencer Tinkler, T’ai Williams, Aaron Eyett, Robbie Ellis, Kee Walker, Marcus Pancho