The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Momentum has returned at just the right time
The professionals love results and performances like this one. A 1-0 win away from home on a dreadful playing surface suggests team spirit is strong and motivation remains high.
It was far from a good spectacle, but Posh won’t be worrying about that as they continue their unlikely pursuit of sixth-placed Doncaster Rovers.
This was one tough fixture out of the way and three wins in a row with three clean sheets confirms momentum has returned at just the right time.
Marcus Maddison’s winning goal was a thing of beauty in complete contrast to the rest of the encounter, although misplaced passes and horrible moments of miscontrol can perhaps be forgiven on this particular pitch.
Maddison had been pretty quiet until he raced into the penalty area in pursuit of Lee Tomlin’s through ball two minutes before the interval. A goal was by no means a certainty, but the finish was delivered expertly into the roof of the net by a quality player at the top of his game.
Earlier Ivan Toney had struck the top of the crossbar with a first-time volley from Ryan Tafazolli’s outstanding long pass and much later the striker pounced on a weak backpass, but was denied by Blackpool ‘keeper Cristoffer Mafoumbi’s smothering save. In between little happened at either end on a day when defenders were always likely to dominate.
Tafazolli and
Rhys Bennett are back to their early-season form together at the heart of the Posh back four and they were so well supported by full-backs Jason Naismith and Daniel Lafferty, goalkeeper Aaron Chapman barely broke sweat as he kept his third clean sheet in a row.
Giant striker Armand Gnanduillet did beat Chapman to a first-half cross, but steered his header wide and Bennett delivered a secondhalf block to thwart Nya Kirby, but otherwise the home side were kept comfortably at arm’s length with Posh midfielders Alex Woodyard and Louis Reed in fine battling form.
It all meant Posh could dare to dream for another few days at least.
The goal was a thing of beauty in contrast to the rest of the game.