The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
From woeful to wonderful with one substitution
There is a football cliche to cover this sort of game, one that saw a team deliver an ugly duckling of a display for half a game before showing off their full beauty to storm to an impressive victory.
Gillingham’s primitive tactics unsettled Posh in the first-half at Priestfield with the hosts unfortunate not to lead by more than John Akinde’s penalty just past the half hour mark, a spot-kick won by a remarkably graceful flop to the floor from the powerfully-built scorer.
But a change in formation to 4-4-1-1 and the introduction of Siriki Dembele from the substitutes’ bench turned the game on its head.
Suddenly the passes started flowing, pace appeared out wide, particularly in the shape of Joe Ward on the right, and midfield domination was achieved.
Posh still needed a goalkeeping fumble from Jack Bonham and a fortunate deflection off a defender to get in front within six minutes of the restart, but the sheer
quality and aggression of their attacking play meant they ran out worthy winners and offered hope they could start picking up three points on their travels more regularly.
That will certainly happen if Dembele can recapture this sort of form often enough. Mo Eisa struggled no more than any other attacking player in the opening 45 minutes, but the superior speed and skill of Dembele lifted his teammates.
Nathan Thompson’s switch to right-back also helped. He advanced after some fine Posh passes to test Bonham from the edge of the box two minutes after the break and it was an examination the ‘keeper failed by pushing a tame shot straight
into the path of the onrushing Jonson Clarke-Harris.
Four minutes later and Dembele sent Jack Taylor into the penalty area and was on hand to receive a perfectly weighted pass from Sammie Szmodics before racing forward and shooting at goal. The shot was struck well enough, but might not have beaten Bonham without the assistance of a defender.
Clarke-Harris promptly missed a good chance to score again, but he delivered a superb flick from Ward’s cross to seal the win midway through the second-half.
Mark Beevers produced a fine headed clearance from under his own bar to thwart Akinde, but otherwise Posh cruised home.
The superior speed and skill of Dembele lifted his teammates.
It could turn into a shootout between two of League One’s hottest shots next Tuesday (Feb 23, 7.30pm) when Posh travel to Plymouth for a League One. match.
Posh forward Jonson Clarke-Harris joined Sunderland’s Charlie Wyke at the top of the League One scoring charts with 17 goals after scoring twice at Gillingham on Tuesday. Jephcott is one goal further back.
Jephcott’s form is one reason why Plymouth have been on a terrific run of results.
They haven’t lost a League One match since Oxford turned then over 3-2 at Home
Park on December 29.
Their 1-0 home win over Fleetwood last weekend was an eighth game without defeat, form that included a fine 1-0 win at Accrington Stanley, a 2-1 success at Sunderland and a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth when Plymouth led 2-0 going into the final minutes.
Former Posh midfielder George Cooper won’t be in action against his old club. He suffered a knee injury before Christmas which is mending very slowly.
Cooper left Posh for Home Park in September after a successful spell on loan in Devon last season.
You never know another Cozens could one day grace the hallowed London Road turf.
Edward Cozens (11), the grandson of title-winning captain John Cozens, is already attracting interest from top clubs.
Edward lives in Gran Caria with father Mark - a decent local footballer himself - and is already part of an Academy.
Mark works in the tourism industry on the island.
The David Silva Soccer Agency has approached the family with regards to Edward. Former Manchester City player Silva is a legend of Spanish football.
Grandfather John Cozens said: “I’ve seen Edward play and he has great potential.
“He has excellent balance and a very good touch. He’s also grown physically which helps. There are a lot of clubs after him right now, but I’d leave him to enjoy his football at that age.
“Mark was a good player himself, just a little short on making it professionally, but there are high hopes of Ed- ward.”
Position: Left-back 1973-74 apps/goals: 45/4.
When Lee moved to London Road from Halifax for £6,000 in time for the 1973-74 season few would have predicted the instant impact he would have on the side.
But Cantwell’s eye for talent was keen and the toughtackling defender went straight into the side and stayed there for all but one game of his debut season.
Lee was the club’s penalty king and netted a big one in the key end-of-season win over title rivals Gillingham.
Lee was still a first-team regular when he decided to join former Posh teammate Mick Jones who was by now managing Kettering Town in February, 1978. He was immediately rewarded for the move by appearing in the 1979 FA Trophy Final at Wembley.
Leemade207Poshappearances and scored 14 goals.
He also worked with Jones at Mansfield and had spells as assistantbossatRochdaleand Hull before taking a job in insurance.
Position: Goalkeeper 1973-74 apps/goals: 20/0
Steele is one of the great Posh goalkeepers.
He was just under six foot tall, but had fantastic agility and was so loved by Posh fans when he returned to the club in a Brighton shirt one ran on the pitch to present him with flowers!
Steele was 20 when he join ed on loan from Newcastle in the middle of the title-winning season.
He made the move permanent the following summer and went on to play in a club record 148 consecutive appearances - a record eventually beaten by George Boyd.
Steele left Posh at the end of that run and joined Brighton in a £19,000 transfer. He helped the Seagulls reach the top flight before moving on to Watford, Derby and Southend.
Steele was a publican for a time after retirement, but became a highly respected goalkeepercoachatDerby,Aston Villa and, most famously, Manchester United.