The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
‘Bring it on’- battlecry ahead of play-off final
‘Bring it on,’ that was the battlecry from Peterborough Sports manager Jimmy Dean after his side reached the Southern Premier Division Central play-off final.
Sports will host a gifted Coalville Town team at the Bee Arena on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2 (3pm kick off ) with a place in the National League set-up at stake. Not bad for a team playing Peterborough League football as recently as 2013.
Goals in the first eight minutes of the second half from Ryan Fryatt and Josh McCammon secured a deserved 2-1 semi-final win over Alvechurch in front of a club record crowd of 741 on Tuesday night to set up what should be a mouthwatering final.
Coalville eased past Rushall Olympic 3-0 in their semifinal and boast a 6-2 win over Sports earlier this season, a defeat the city side went on to avenge at the Bee Arena.
"What a great night for the club,” Sports manager Jimmy Dean enthused.
“The atmopshere was outstanding. It was great to see so many fans here and they made it lovely and hostile for our opponents.
"Alvechurch are a good side. They beat us twice in the league and we had to tinker with our system a bit to stop them playing and my players responded.
"The three midfielders were outstanding out of possession.
"We need those fans back and hopefully a few more, again for the final on Monday.
"We want to borrow the Posh fans again for what should be a great game.
"After Banbury us and Coalville are comfortably the best two teams in the league.
"The table proves that. We finished level on points, we both play good football and we will both be at full strength
so bring it on!
"They beat us 6-2 at their place after we went 2-0 up, but there were mitigating circumstances.
"We had a two-day turnaround from playing King’s Lynn in the FA Cup, while they had a nine-day break going into that game.
"It wasn’t the best game at our place, but we battled to a 2-0 win. It will be a battle
again as it its two very good sides.”
Centre-back Fryatt nodded Sports in front from a 47th minute corner before midfielder McCammon struck from 20 yards in the 53rd minute.
The visitors pulled a goal back direct from a free kick with just over 20 minutes to go and, while Sports ‘keeper Peter Crook was probably disappointed
to let that one slip in, he more than redeemed himself with a superb 94thminute save after Daniel Waldron had breached the home defence.
An equaliser and extra time would have been a travesty, but the final whistle blew 60 seconds later to spark scenes of great jubilation, not least from Dean who is now within touching distance of a fourth promotion with the club.
"We deserved to win,” Dean enthused. “We should have scored more goals and then we almost blew it at the death, but that save is why I brought Peter Crook to the club.”
Sports were the better side for most of the game with Jordan Nicholson missing a great chance in either half.