Peterborough United draw comfort from a lap of appreciation despite a third stalemate in a row
It’s three 1-1 draws in a row for Peterborough United, not quite the sort of consistency they’ve been striving for all season, but they still received a warm reception from the home fans during a lap of appreciation after the final home game of the season.
Those fans had watched a reasonably entertaining game against Bolton Wanderers which Posh would have won if Malik Mothersille hadn’t failed with a penalty attempt in the second-half, but they could also have lost as visiting forward John McAtee managed to hit the post in the final minute with the goal at his mercy.
Mothersille had opened the scoring from the spot in the first-half with ‘The Trotters’ equalising through centre-back Chris Forino from a corner on 33 minutes. Both sides pushed hard for a winner, but instead both sides had to accept extending their runs without a League One win to five matches apiece.
Posh made five changes to their starting line-up with all three soon-to-be-departing players on the substitutes’ bench. Goalkeeper Will Blackmore, teenage centre=back George Nevett, midfielder Donay O’Brien-Brady, and forwards Chris Conn-Clark and Gustav Lindgren all started. Sixteen year-old striker Bolu Shofowoke was among the substitutes as was fellow youth team player Lucca Mendonca.
Bolton gave former Posh star Joel Randall a rare start, handed a Football League debut to young centre-back Sam Inwood and placed a lot of young players on their bench.
A contest full of commitment – there were five cautions in the first 25 minutes and nine in total – if lacking in quality, was seen. Bolton pressed hard and high early on and enjoyed some success doing it while Posh stuck to their standard style, even when the lesser players involved.
Bolton had the better moments and were twice denied goals in the opening 10 minutes by smart Blackmore goalkeeping, first to thwart John McAtee and then to deny Randall, who kept popping up in dangerous positions off the left-hand side.
Randall shot just wide after an accidental 1-2 with O’Brien-Brady, but the Posh midfielder played a big part in the opening goal of the game in the 20th minute. His neat turn and pass sent Mothersille away down the left. The former Chelsea man had been shifted back to the wing and he cut inside between two defenders with Jay Matete pulling him down. Mothersille’s ice-cool approach to spot-kicks was again in evidence as he waited for goalkeeper Luke Southwood to move before scoring.
O’Brien-Brady and Mothersille played big parts in what should have been a second Posh goal. O’Brien’s chipped cross was met by Mothersille, whose header was saved with the ball landing kindly for Lindgren. Surely this was his moment. A first Football League goal was imminent, but no the Swede struck a first-time left foot shot over the bar from no distance at all.
Bolton were still bossing the ball though and predictably winning the physical encounters. A corner casually conceded by Nevett on 33 minutes got them back into the game. The first set-piece was well defended by Sam Hughes, but from the second the ball fell kindly for Chris Forino to convert from close range. Posh were down to 10 men at the time with Mothersille off the pitch having received treatment.
Randall, who was booed by the Posh fans on his return to London Road, shot just wide again from the edge of the box six minutes before the break.
Posh sent for the cavalry in the second-half with Kwame Poku and Ricky-Jade Jones on just after the hour mark with Hector Kyprianou following 15 minutes later.
There was almost a dramatic impact with Poku, who looked very sharp, feeding Jones, but his shot was blocked. Hughes than blocked McAtee’s strike at goal after a fine Randall pass.
Midway through the half Mothersille was fouled inside the area again, well in referee Ruebyn Ricardo’s eyes at least, but Southwood learnt from the first penalty and waited for the shooter to commit before plunging to his left to make the save.
Mothersille’s inconsistent performance continued with a lovely cross that Poku couldn’t convert with his head and then a horrible miss after a Poku cross had found him unattended 10 yards from goal.
Bolton came closest to claiming all three points with Blackmore saving well from Collins and that miss from McAtee after Posh had handed a Football League debut to 16 year-old strike Bolu Shofowoke.
He didn’t touch the ball, but the experience will stand him in good stead.
Posh: Will Blackmore, Harley Mills (sub James Dornelly, 74 mins), George Nevett, Sam Hughes, Carl Johnston, Ryan De Havilland, Donay O’Brien-Brady, Malik Mothersille (sub Bolu Shofowoke, 89 mins), Abraham Odoh (sub Kwame Poku 61 mins), Chris Conn-Clarke (sub Hector Kyprianou, 74 mins), Gustav Lindgren (sub Ricky-Jade Jones, 61 mins).
Unused subs: Jed Steer, Lucca Mendonca,
Bolton: Luke Southwood, Gethin Jones, Sam Inwood, Chris Forino, Alex Murphy (sub Harrison Rice, 90 + 5 mins), Szabolcs Schon (sub Deashon Lawrence, 77 mins), George Thomason, Jay Matate, Klaidi Lolos (sub Aaron Collins 74 mins), Joel Randall, John McAtee (sub David Abimbola, 90 + 5 mins.
Unused subs: Nathan Baxter, Sean Hogan, Harley Irwin,
GOALS: Posh – Mothersille (20 mins).
Bolton – Forino (33 mins).
CAUTIONS: Posh – Mothersille (unsportsmanlike conduct), Odoh (unsportsmanlike conduct), De Havilland (foul), Kyprianou (fpoul).
Bolton – Lolos (foul), Matete (foul), Thomason (unsportsmanlike conduct), Southwood (dissent), Jones (dissent).
REFEREE: Reubyn Ricardo 5.
ATTENDANCE: 9.231 (1,187 Bolton)