Siriki skills set up a terrific win

Well, there’s the possibility of managing expectations flying out of the window.

Big away wins, even at Rochdale, send excitement and expectation-levels soaring. Fans will forget exactly the same thing happened (and then some) last season and it meant very little in the final reckoning.

But the suspicion is this Posh squad has been built to last the pace. If there was a doubt going into this match it was probably in the quality of the wide players following the departures of Gwion Edwards and Marcus Maddison.

Yet Siriki Dembele, in just one performance, went some way to calming those particular worries with a display full of pace, trickery and a strong end product.

The youngster assisted on all three first-half Posh goals with a cross Jason Cummings nodded in at the far post, a set-piece that Mark O’Hara headed home after Cummings had nodded it back across goal and with a free kick that might have crossed the line before home ‘keeper Josh Lillis reached it. Matt Godden was on hand to confirm the goal anyway.

All that after Dale had taken a 17th minute lead from a wrongly awarded penalty for a ‘foul’ by Colin Daniel. The Posh comeback at least saved referee Anthony Backhouse from an Evans ear-bashing.

Posh added a fourth goal deep into added time after O’Hara had robbed a dithering defender and stormed through. That probably flattered Posh, but there was much to admire other than the final scoreline.

Defensively this is is the most robust back four and goalkeeper seen at this club for many a season. They defend first and foremost which enables the likes of Dembele, O’Hara and lively strikers Godden and Cummings to strut their stuff.

Manager Evans has been labelled a long-ball boss and he finally added the targetman striker, Ivan Toney, he’s been seeking all summer.

Toney sat on the bench for 70 minutes watching Posh play some decent football.