A long way to go yet in the title race says Sports boss Dean

Jimmy Dean insists Peterborough Sports’ toughest tests still lie ahead as they chase Southern League Division One Central title glory.

The city team strengthened their claims for silverware with a terrific 3-1 success at fellow title hopefuls Corby Town, in front of a bumper crowd of 933, last Saturday.

Sports took command of the second-versus-third clash with two goals in the space of three minutes late in the first half as a Dan Lawlor penalty was followed by a Dion Sembie-Ferris strike.

The hosts halved their arrears midway through the second period but a late strike by Avelino Vieira, who pounced on an error by locally-based Corby keeper Dan George, sealed Sports’ success.

The victory against the Steelmen left Dean’s men two points behind table-toppers Bromsgrove Sporting (who beat them the previous weekend) while having three games in hand, but the Sports chief insists there is much work still to be done.

“I watched Corby last Tuesday night and I was convinced then that we could beat them,” said Dean.

“They played into our hands with the way they set their team up and we played them off the park in all honesty.

“We have now won 10 of our last 11 games and there have been plenty of good performances along the way, but what we produced at Corby was right up there with the best of them.

“The title is in our hands, but there is still a hell of a lot of hard work ahead.

“I back my players to keep doing what they’re doing, but we know the home straight is the toughest part of the season when the men are sorted from the boys.

“We’ve responded to every defeat this season by going on a great run and we need to do the same again.

“Hopefully Saturday was the start of that and we know the title can be ours if we keep it going.”

Sports have a home date against Kempston Rovers at the Bee Arena this Saturday, 3pm, before facing back-toback away clashes against sides currently in the play-off places.

They go to Thame on Tuesday and then visit Didcot on March 16.

They could be top by then as Bromsgrove Sporting are without a fixture this weekend.

PICTURE: JAMES RICHARDSON Peterborough Sports players and supporters celebrate their big win at Corby Town.