Skipper scores twice as Peterborough United emerge from the doldrums with a dominant victory over Port Vale

Two first-half goals from skipper Jonson Clarke-Harris and a second-half strike on his 200th Posh appearance from Joe Ward delivered the points for Grant McCann’s men as they snapped a four-game third tier losing streak.

They could easily have won by more, but at the end of the week when off-field stories caused concern among faithful fans, this was a most welcome and aggreeable performance and result.

Posh started with a 4-3-3 formation which again meant no starting place for Jack Marriott, scorer of a fabulous goal as the team gained a morale-boosting midweek win in the EFL Trophy.

Ward was deployed as a right-back with Harrison Burrows at left-back. There were only two natural defenders plus a goalkeeper on the pitch for Posh – just how this club likes it.

Vale had enjoyed a satisfactory start for a promoted club. They arrived at London Road unbeaten in five matches, although only three had been League One matches, and only one had been won.

Posh looked nervy at the start and were pushed back, but they got a grip of the game around the 10-minute mark and controlled the rest of the first-half. There were too many sloppy passes early on, but that part of the game improved as the minutes ticked by.

And the Posh wide players, Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku, certainly justified their inclusion ahead of Marriott.

Jones burst past his marker to race into the area on 12 minutes, but passed to Clarke-Harris instead of shooting and the chance disappeared before Jack Taylor tested visiting goalkeeper Jack Stevens with a low fizzer from 25 yards.

Posh took the lead on 26 minutes when Clarke-Harris initially did well to compete for a long straight pass from Frankie Kent. The danger seemed to pass, but Jones made a terrific tackle on the edge of the Vale area and the ball fell kindly for Poku who slipped it sideways to his captain who converted easily.

Josh Knight saw an acrobatic volley from a corner headed away before Posh and Clarke-Harris struck again on 36 minutes. It was a sinple flowing move involving Ward and Ben Thompson before Poku, who tormented Dan Jones throughout the half, delivered the perfect cross for Clarke-Harris to volley home from close range.

Vale’s best effort of the half was a 45 yarder from Ellis Harrison who had spotted Lucas Bergstrom off his line, but the visitors generally passed the ball terribly in the first-half.

Posh were far slicker towards the end of the half. A superb piece of chest control, a run and a cross from Jones almost found Clarke-Harris in the penalty area and the centre-forward was denied a hat-trick with the last act of the half when his downward header from Ward’s cross was well saved by Stevens with his boot.

Posh also started the second-half in style. Clarke-Harris volleyed wide from the edge of the area, Knight saw a header from a corner blocked by a defender and Clarke-Harris then thumped a high speed cross against an upright.

The attacks fizzled out though as Vale changed personnel and formation, and started to pump the ball long. McCann’s response was to switch to three at the back by introducing Nathan Thompson and pushing Ward further forward. Marriott was also introduced and with his first touch accepted Poku’s pass and sent the onrushing Ward through on goal 16th minute from time. His finish was so accurate there was a kiss on the inside of a post before the ball nestled in the back of the net.

Before the game-clinching goal Jones had set up a chance for Taylor that a piece of miscontrol ruined and Harrison’s run through on the Posh goal was superbly interrupted by Jeando Fuchs. Harrison also headed over as Vale enjoyed a good spell either side of the hour mark, but the third goal killed them off as an attacking force.

Late substitute Ephron Mason-Clark should have added a fourth goal in the final moments after reaching Ward’s volleyed pass at the far post, but he couldn’t keep his close-range shot down.

It’s four League One wins out of five at London Road for Posh though with bottom club Burton Albion and struggling Forest Green Rovers next up, once the challenge of MK Dons away from home has been met next Saturday.

Posh: Lucas Bergstrom, Harrison Burrows (sub Dan Butler, 76 mins), Frankie Kent, Josh Knight, Joe Ward, Jeando Fuchs, Jack Taylor, Ben Thompson (sub Nathan Thompson, 71 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones (sub Jack Marriott, 71 mins), Kwame Poku (sub Joel Randall, 77 mins), Jonson Clarke-Harris (sub Ephron Mason-Clark, 83 mins).

Unused subs: Will Blackmore, Hector Kyprianou.

Port Vale: Jack Stevens, Lewis Cass, Dan Jones, Nathan Smith, Ben Garrity, Mal Benning (sub David Worrall, 57 mins), Funso Ojo (sub Tom Conlon, 21 mins), Gavin Massey, Dany Butterworth (sub Dennis Politic, 57 mins), James Wilson (sub Brad Walker, 77 mins), Ellis Harrison.

Unused subs: Aidan Stone, Connor Hall, Tom Pett.

Goals: Posh – Clarke-Harris (26 mins, 36 mins), Ward (74 mins)

Vale – Massey (foul), Harrison (foul), Jones (foul).

Referee: Anthony Backhouse 8.

Attendance: 7,235 (Vale to follow).