REPORT: Quickfire double from the ‘Colchester Cruyff’ sets Posh on the way to four wins in a row and second place in League One

Posh beat AFC Wimbledon 3-0 at the Weston Homes Stadium thanks to another blistering post-interval performance.

The ‘Colchester Cruyff’ (copyright Twitter) opened the game up after a tight first-half during which the relegation-haunted visitors often impressed. Top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris added a fortunate third goal in the 90th minute.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson made the expected change to his starting line-up with Siriki Dembele replacing Mo Eisa. There was one shock though with 43-year-old goalkeeper Mark Tyler on the substitutes’ bench.

Posh started the game with wing-backs, but made a formation change after 37 minutes which tells you how the game had gone up to that point.

Posh did start reasonably well and delivered a couple of good crosses, but once Frankie Kent had headed a corner wide, the visitors started to impress.

They looked well drilled, attacked and defended in numbers and created the better chances, albeit no glaringly good ones.

Jack Rudoni shot straight at Christy Pym in the 13th minute, Ryan Longman blazed over 60 seconds later and top scorer Joe Piggott volleyed over from a much better position midway through the first half just before Longman headed just wide.

Posh were often laboured in possession and didn’t respond to manager Darren Ferguson’s urgings to get the ball wide as quickly as possible.

After the formantion change to 4-4-1-1 Dembele saw a shot parried with the ball returned to Joe Ward whose shot was weak and easily saved.

Dons responded well with Ethan Chislett finding space without getting his shot past Nathan Thompson with any power.

Ward then sent over a precise centre which demanded a right-foot finish from Jonson Clarke-Harris. Instead he went with his left foot and missed the ball completely.

But Posh, and Szmodics in particular, started the second-half on fire. A fine pass from Reece Brown sent Dembele scuttling into the penalty area and his pass was swept home from close range by Szmodics.

And three minutes later Nathan Thompson found Szmodics who stormed into the area before delivering a clinical finish.

Dembele started to torment the Dons and one cutback led to Jack Taylor seeing a close range shot blocked by goalkeeper Sam Walker and then a defender.

Dons almost pulled a goal back on the hour when substitute Shayon Harrison fed Ryan Longman on the edge of the Posh box. He created space and forced a one-handed save from Pym who palmed up and behind him, but recovered to gather before the ball crossed the line.

Unfortunately that was the last action for for Harrison who was stretchered off, an incident that led to nine minutes of added time.

Szmodics volleyed wide when team-mates were better placed and he then missed a glorious chance for a hat-trick after superb long pass from Dembele, but he lifted the ball over the crossbar as well as the goalkeeper.

And the matchwinner then pounced on a through ball from Clarke-Harris, went around the ‘keeper, but couldn’t finish from an acute angle.

But Posh found the third goal their second half domination deserved in the 90th minute when Ward and Szmodics combined, the former should have scored from close range, but his weak shot was cleared off the line by Nesta Guiness-Walker only for it to strike Clarke-Harris and rebound into the net.

And to cap a great Posh day, Hull City conceded a 102nd minute equaliser to drop points at Doncaster, a result that pushed Posh into second place.

Posh: Christy Pym, Dan Butler, Mark Beevers, Nathan Thompson (sub Niall Mason, 79 mins), Frankie Kent, Joe Ward (sub Harrison Burrows, 90 mins), Jack Taylor, Reece Brown (sub Ethan Hamilton, 74 mins), Siriki Dembele, Sammie Szmodics (sub Ricky-Jade Jones, 90 mins), Jonson Clarke-Harris (sub Mo Eisa, 90 mins).

Unused subs: Mark Tyler, Idris Kanu.

Wimbledon: Sam Walker, Luke O’Neill, Alex Woodyard, Ethan Chislett (sub Shayon Harrison, 58 mins, sub Cheye Alexander, 67 mins), Jack Rudoni (sub Paul Osew, 78 mins), Nesta Guiness-Walker, George Dobson (sub Jaako Oksanen, 79 mins), , Darnell Johnson (sub Ben Heneghan, 78 mins), Ryan Longman, Joe Pigott

Unused subs: Nik Tzanev, Dan Csoka.

Goals: Posh - Szomidics (49 mins & 52 mins), Clarke-Harris (90 mins).

Cautions: Wimbledon - Dobson (foul).

Referee: Andy Woolmer 8.