Peterborough United romp to under 23 victory over QPR, senior players score, new signings revealed, contract extensions for others

The result was impressive, but getting an hour into senior players Sammie Szmodics and Jack Marriott was equally satisfying for first-team boss Darrem Ferguson. Both players scored in the first-half.

“This competition is going to be very beneficial for the club,” Ferguson said. “Strong opponents will help with the development of our players and it’s also an opportunity to get minutes into players who need them.

“Getting an hour into Sammie and Jack was important and we got 70 minutes into Kwame Poku and 90 minutes into Ronnie Edwards. It was a good game. We played well.”

Marriott netted from the penalty spot after Idris Kanu was upended by the visiting ‘keeper and Szmodics swept home number two before the quarter-hour mark after good work from Poku.

Substitute Luke Harris tapped home from close-range after the keeper spilled a long-range effort in the second-half before Ethan Hamilton completed the scoring with the goal of the game, drilling home into the bottom corner with his left-foot from 20-yards.

Posh have signed two new players for the under 23 squad. Andrew Oluwabori and Kobe Jae Chong are both forwards. Oluwabori was recently released by Huddersfield after spending time on trial at Manchester City.

Chong scored twice as a trialist for Posh in a friendly at Spalding earlier this month. He had been with West Brom.

Academy graduates Connor Peters and Luke Harris have also been given professional contract extensions after they suffered injury-interrupted seasons last term.

Posh: Blackmore, O’Connell, Edwards, Peters, Tomlinson, Poku (sub Gyamfi 70min), Szmodics (sub Oluwabori 60min), Kanu, Barker, Hamilton, Marriott (sub Harris 60min).