I visited Charter's before the match and as I left I spoke to some Tranmere fans about the match. The consensus on their teams chances was most succinct "We're ****e" they opined and they were right. After 4 consecutive League defeats (hard on the heels of an earlier much worse run) had Posh in free-fall down the table, surely Tranmere, a team we have humbled 5 - 0 on two occasions already this season, would be the perfect opponents to gain a change in fortune. Thankfully Tranmere had read the script and to echo the immortal words of their long-suffering fans they were ****e. Apart from being beaten by a shot that rebounded off the inside of the post into his grateful arms, just after the half-time restart and a routine block later on, Joe Day, replacing an out of form Bobby Olejnik in goal, could not have hoped for an easier League debut - he was a virtual spectator for the majority of the match. A pitch that was heavy and cut up badly was not conducive to fast, free-flowing football played on the ground, though for the majority of this season that style of play seemed to be alien to Posh. We had started the season Defensively sound (most un-Poshlike) and struggling to score goals, especially in Home matches. After a good start (results-wise) the wheels appeared to fall off and the old Defensive frailty returned, a sure recipe for disaster. Finally a clean sheet and 3 points! Nicky Ajose's long-awaited first goal for Posh duly arrived, much to the delight of the player and the fans. Alongside Britt Assombalonga he looked a constant threat, his intelligent use of runs and space taking some of the pressure from his strike partner. Danny Swanson and Tommy Rowe were at the heart of all the good Posh moves and having the relative luxury of 2 capable and experienced senior players to help him allowed Jermaine Anderson to raise his game, with Jack Payne running around behind them tackling hard and winning the ball frequently. Though Anderson was guilty of giving away the ball needlessly on a few occasions, he ran and harried, winning the ball back to atone for his errors (he is only 17 after all). Both Bostwick and Rowe went off due to injury, I hope neither is too seriously hurt, their presence will be needed on Tuesday night, especially Tommy. He may not be a 'glamourous' player but our results when he does not play compared to when he does, proves his effectiveness. A fairly soft penalty was awarded to Posh within the first 5 minutes when Britt went down rather easily under pressure from a Tranmere Defender. He recovered to coolly dispatch the spot-kick. Apart from a free-kick just outside the box Day was a bystander during the first period, with Posh having a great deal of possession without posing a real threat, the ball frequently sticking in the mud, bobbling on divots or skidding out of play on the greasy surface did not help matters. For the first 5 minutes of the second half it was all Tranmere, the only period of dominance they had. If the shot that hit the post had gone in who knows what might have happened? Posh survived that brief onslaught and began to exert pressure of their own on the hard working fon Williams. After a series of corners and free-kicks Posh had the ball in the net thanks to Brisley only for his effort to be ruled out for a foul and earning himself a booking for his prolonged protest. Soon after it was 2 - 0. Yet another corner was cleared by the Tranmere Defence but this time the ball was headed straight back into the box for a delighted Nicky Ajose to stoop and head the ball past fon Williams. Tranmere did rally briefly, pushing forward in search of a goal. this was to prove their undoing when they had a corner and Posh caught them with with a rapid counter-attack Ajose this time performing the role of provider for Britt, who shrugged off the attention of the Defender and curl the ball past the keeper just inside the far post for goal number three. The sigh of relief from the Posh fans was tangible, with only about 10 minutes left the game had to be won - it was. With a resurgent Notts County next to visit London Road on Tuesday night, for what I believe will be a tough match, I can only hope the weather remains clement and the ground staff have a chance to repair the ravages to the pitch.
You going Tuesday OPP? My son wasn't very impressed with the team today but was glad to get a win .... do you feel the scoreline flattered us ?
Yes, I shall be there Tuesday. A fair result - Not so much because Posh were good but because Tranmere were so poor.
