City of Peterborough lose another thriller despite a set-piece hat-trick from Wizard Wilson

City went down 5-4 at home to a Cardiff & Met team stacked with Welsh internationals and sadly results elsewhere now mean they are favourites for the drop again.

City did escape the relegation zone after back-to-back victories, but a win for rivals Sheffield Hallam at the weekend means they need to make up at least a point on either Hallam or Nottingham University in the final two games of the season to escape the drop.

Next up for City is a tough trip to title-chasing Bowdon - another team to beat them 5-4 at Bretton Gate - on Sunday and they will hope to still be in touch as they finish their Division One North programme with a winnable home game against Birmingham University on March 22.

City were always playing catch-up against Cardiff, but they levelled at 1-1 and 2-2 and fought back from 4-2 to 4-3 and from 5-3 to 5-4, but couldn’t force another opportunity.

An extra short corner would have been handy as Adam Wilson expertly claimed a hat-trick of set-piece goals in the second-half. Joe Finding had scored City’s goal and he was denied a second by a terrific goalline clearance.

* City of Peterborough Ladies had a long weekend on the road in the East Premier A Division, winning 4-0 at Maidstone on Saturday before losing 3-1 at leaders East London at the Olympic Park yesterday.

City played well in both games with Jeorgia Carr, Shelley Broadway, Amy Wells and Leonie Hart on target in Maidstone and Jess Broadway scoring a classy goal at East London.

City can be very pleased with a season that will end in a third or fourth place finish, They play their penultimate game against Upminster at Bretton Gate on Saturday (March 14).