Things are looking up at last for Peterborough Sports

Dion Sembie-Ferris (orange) in action for Peterborough Sports against Bishop's Stortford. Photo: David Lowndes.

Sports won a dramatic game 4-2 at PIMS Park on Saturday after winning 2-0 at Stortford on Boxing Day.

The city side were twice behind yesterday, but were level at 2-2 early in the second-half thanks to goals from Matt Tootle – with a brilliant free kick strike on his 500th career appearance – and Hayden Cann.

Captain Mark Jones looked to have won the game with an 89th minute header, but Stortford, who had been reduced to 10 men on the hour mark, were handed an immediate chance to equalise from the penalty spot.

Hugh Alban Jones (orange) in action for Sports against Stortford. Photo: David Lowndes.

Up stepped Sports’ keeper Peter Crook to save the spot-kick and Jordan Nicholson than raced away to score for the third game in a row to settle the outcome.

Sports are now 13th, but only four points outside the play-off places. They are eight points clear of the drop zone ahead of a trip to lowly Banbury on Saturday. There are matches on New Year’s Day that could alter those positions.

"Mark Jones looked like being our hero, but then that honour switched to Crooky,” enthused delighted Sports’ joint-boss Michael Gash.

"We didn’t play with the same quality and control we had shown at Stortford, but we are a different team now compared to the start of the season.

"Back then our heads would drop as soon as something went wrong, but now we just pick ourselves up, keep playing and fight harder.

"We had a great December apart from a blip against Tamworth and I always said if we strung some positive results together we would soon shoot up the table.

"We look a strong squad now. We have a lot of forward options and we have people coming back from injury.

"It’s nice to be able to look up the table instead of down below us, although we won’t be getting carried away.

"We face another team lower than us in the table next, but Banbury is a difficult place to go.

"We will need to have the attitude spot on again because we have the quality in attacking areas to hurt them.”

Central defender Ryan Fryatt returned from a long absence to sit on the substitutes’ bench last weekend and Matty Miles and Dan Jarvis are not far away from their own return.

Powerful centre-half Connor Johnson is now the biggest injury concern at the club with no timeframe yet set for his comeback.