New Year's Day celebrations as Peterborough United continue their great form to surge into to the top half of the League One table

A 2-0 victory at struggling Rotherham United courtesy of an own goal and a precision finish from substitute Brandon Khela meant a celebration on New Year’s Day. The new year that undoubtedly offers promise, especially compared to the state of affairs at the club 12 months ago.

Posh made hard work of beating a team who have now lost six games in a row, but they could have easily scored five goals in the second-half as their superior quality emerged.

Posh boss Luke Williams rolled the dice with his team selection, making four changes to the side that started, and played well, at home to Reading on Monday. Only one was enforced as injury, probably a serious one, kept David Okagbue out of the side enabling Tom O’Connor to resume his central defensive partnership with Tom Lees. The experienced pair were excellent throughout.

Top scorer Harry Leonard was dropped to the substitutes’ bench along with midfielder Ben Woods. Jimmy-Jay Morgan was left out of the matchday squad altogether. In came Gustav Lindgren, Donay O’Brien Brady and Declan Frith. George Nevett and Khela were also promoted to the bench.

Rotherham were in the midst of a dreadful run and an injury crisis. Many key players were absent, none of them through choice. They had two members of the Sheffield Wednesday team that beat Posh on that fateful play-off night at Hillsborough though, goalkeeper Cameron Dawson and full-back Reece James, but only those on terraces would remember them.

The form guide suggested Posh were firm favourites to win this one. Over the previous five matches Posh had gathered 13 points, while the hosts hadn’t picked up any at all, and eventually that’s how it turned out.

Posh certainly started like the team going well, but they soon faded as the match became very scruffy. Each team had a great chance to score before the break with Kion Etete hooking straight at Posh ‘keeper Alex Bass from close range after a neat right wing chip, but that was a monstrously difficult opportunity to the one that fell to Kyrell Lisbie on 21 minutes.

Lees flicked a Frith corner on with the ball travelling to Lisbie who was stood inches from the goalline, but he somehow managed to hit the ball sideways.

Lisbie did however carry a threat when played in behind the home defence and he twice came close to teeing up chances for onrushing teammates.

Frith tested the agility of Dawson with an excellent drive from 25 yards, but the ‘keeper was up to the task. He also beat away a Garbett free kick as the half meandered to an inevitable goalless conclusion.

The hosts started the second half well with Bass saving from Dru Yearwood and then there was an exchange of woodwork rattling as O’Brien-Brady curled a beauty against the post before Jordan Hugill struck the crossbar for Rotherham 60 seconds later.

Posh slowly started to get a grip though and the breakthrough arrived just past the hour mark when Garbett freed Frith on the right wing. As the home fans appealed for off-side the winger crossed and Joe Rafferty couldn’t avoid running the ball into his own net. Frith had come close to opening the scoring after some trickery and a fierce shot that was well blocked a few minutes earlier.

There was a brief spell of Rotherham pressure after the goal, but Bass was handling crosses superbly and, once a ricochet from a home corner fell nicely for the ‘keeper, it became pretty comfortable.

Posh sent subs on from a strong bench which helped, most notably Khela who pretty much scored with his first competitive touch of the ball since early December. Accuracy rather than pace took his shot low into the corner of the home net.

Posh should have added more goals with Leonard twice denied by Dawson after he’d escaped behind the defence, but 16 points from seven matches and a surge up to the table to 11th represents a fantastic run of form from a team with plenty of improvement in them

Posh: Alex Bass, Carl Johnston, Tom O’Connor, Tom Lees, Peter Kioso (sub James Dornelly, 84 mins), Donay O’Brien-Brady (sub Brandon Khela, 71 mins), Archie Collins, Kyrell Lisbie (sub Cian Hayes, 77 mins), Matt Garbett (sub Ben Woods, 76 mins), Declan Frith, Gustav Lindgren (sub Harry Leonard, 71 mins).

Unused subs: Vicente Reyes, George Nevett.

Rotherham: Cameron Dawson, Joe Rafferty (Jack Homes, 65 mins), Zak Jules, Reece James (sub Arjany Martha, 46 mins), Joe Powell, Jamal Baptiste, Dru Yearwood (sub Liam Kelly, 65 mins), Shaun McWilliams, Denzel Hall (sub Sean Raggett, 79 mins), Kion Etete (sub Josh Ayres, 53 mins) Jordan Hugill.

Unused subs: Ted Cann, Lenny Agbaire

GOALS: Posh – Rafferty (og, 61 mins), Khela (74 mins).

CAUTIONS: Posh – Johnston (Posh)

Rotherham – Hugill (foul), Jules (foul), Yearwood (foul), Baptiste (foul), Ayres (foul).

REFEREE: Matt Corlett 6.

Attendance: 8,429 (1,007 Posh).