Peterborough United prove that hard work brings better fortune, goalkeeping issues, a key substitution, a fraudulent goal claim, some happier statistics and some implied criticism of the former manager

He meant the time he spent at practice was relevant to the number of times he would play miraculous recovery shots. It wasn’t down to luck at all. Good things happened because of the long hours he spent honing his skills.

Peterborough United rode their luck at times at Barnsley yesterday (April 18). Their goal often led a charmed life, but they left Oakwell with a first clean sheet away from home of the Championship season and a 2-0 win.

Hard work was a huge factor in this result as well as great determination and good fortune. It’s remarkable how often a willingness to throw yourself in the way of shots and a ‘thou shalt not pass’ attitude will result in a favourable bounce of the ball. Gaby Zakuani built a decent career out of such an approach.

Posh didn’t play very well here. They might not have beaten any other team in the division playing like this, but frankly who cares? After a torrid season Posh have earned the right to win when not at their best because of a distinct improvement in recent weeks. It’s too little too late of course, and it would be major surprise if a rampant Nottingham Forest and Reading don’t conspire to relegate Posh on Saturday (April 23), but small victories can still be celebrated.

TALKING POINTS FROM BARNSLEY v POSH...

1) Either team could have been relegated yesterday, but neither of them were as Reading could only draw 4-4 at home to Swansea. One says ‘only’ but as they were 4-1 down with half an hour to go it probably felt like a win. The point doesn’t really make a lot of difference to Posh. Reading will now relegate Posh as soon as they pick up two points from three games rather than three unless there is a sensational turnaround in goal difference. Reading are at a poor Hull side who are out of form on Saturday when Posh have a far sterner test against Forest, albeit at home. If Posh lose the relegation trapdoor will open no matter what happens to Reading.

2) The goalkeeping situation at Posh has been an enduring mystery this season. In the summer the PT was told Posh were seeking a bigger goalkeeper to challenge/replace incumbent number one Christy Pym. Pym was never likely to be a success at Championship level, but Posh signed a goalkeeper who had sat on the substitutes’ bench at Ipswich Town in League One for most of the season instead. Dai Cornell has been okay for most of the season, but has suffered a few wobbles either side of Steven Benda’s arrival and departure. Yesterday Cornell was excellent. His handling was immaculate and he made two, possibly three outstanding saves. ‘Possibly’ because there was a bloody great pillar between the PT staff and Cornell when a point-blank strike from Carlton Morris was somehow diverted over the crossbar in the final stages. Fter the game there was a suggestion a defender rather than the goalkeeper made the crucial intervention. Either way Cornell was a strong contender for man-of-the-match.

3) Grant McCann’s substitution of Ricky-Jade Jones for Jack Marriott was a decisive moment in the game. Posh had creaked defensively in the opening 20 minutes of the second-half, but the introduction of a striker with pace and power helped ease the pressure. Crucially his teammates helped him by playing the ball into space behind defenders who panicked when closed down by someone so quick enabling Posh to win back possession high up the pitch. No other Posh player would have won the corner that led to the match-clinching second goal.

4) That’s two goals from set-pieces for Posh this season now and both scored by Jack Taylor, this time with an eight-yard header. He wasn’t credited with the goal until after the game though after his post-match tweet about 30 seconds after the final whistle prompted a careful VAR-style check by the Posh media team who ruled in favour of Taylor over Frankie Kent and also dismissed a late claim from Sammie Szmodics. Kent’s exuberant celebration in front of the Posh fans fooled everyone, but Taylor stood his ground leaving the centre-back still seeking his first goal of the season.

5) Some happy stats for Posh fans for a change. As well as a first clean sheet away from home of the season, Posh can’t now set a club record low points score for a single campaign. They are on 34 points now, the same as the club record, also set in the second tier in 2009-10. The best unbeaten run of the season is now at four games.

6) It might be the way the questions are asked that is leading to what could easily be construed as implied criticisms of the previous manager. Szomidics said after the Good Friday win over Blackburn he was enjoying the man management skills of Grant McCann and Cornell praised the intensity and professionalism of the new boss after yesterday’s win. Were those things not in place under Darren Ferguson then?