Posh players withheld their services on a dismal day

WILL NORRIS – 4

A slipshod start to the game cost Posh dear. The goalkeeper was horribly casual throughout.

JOE WARD – 5

The right-back at least came close to scoring with a shot against the crossbar, but otherwise poor.

NATHANAEL OGBETA – 5

Moved forward with the ball well, but his passing was very erratic. Defended okay.

FRANKIE KENT – 5

Solid at times, but worryingly fragile on other occasions.

RONNIE EDWARDS – 4

A rare ragged display from the teenager. All over the place with his discipline and positioning.

HECTOR KYPRIANOU – 4

Took a bang on his ankle, but may well have been coming off very early anyway.

JACK TAYLOR – 5

He at least looked interested, but there was an alarming lack of quality.

HARRISON BURROWS – 4

Looked very lightweight and one-paced whether stationed centrally or on the wing.

KWAME POKU – 4

Ran up many blind alleys and kept hold of the ball when he should have been shooting or crossing.

EPHRON MASON-CLARK – 4

A laboured start to the game, but still a shock to see him substituted after 25 minutes.

JONSON CLARKE-HARRIS – 4

Even the captain’s body langauge looked bad towards the end of a frustrating afternoon. He was handled comfortably by three centre-backs all game. Only broke free to score an offside goal.

SUBS USED

Nathan Thompson (for MasonClark, 26 mins) 5; Oliver Norburn (for Kyprianou, 26 mins) 5; Kabongo Tshimanga (for Edwards, 57 mins) 4; Dan Butler (for Ogbeta, 75 mins) 6; Joel Randall (for Burrows, 75 min) 6.

POSH 0 CHELTENHAM 3

Possibly out of solidarity to Gary Lineker and chums, the entire Posh team decided to withhold their services on Saturday afternoon.

They turned up for work as usual, but went through the motions mentally and physically to lose comfortably to the 17th-best team in the division.

Beating the teams near the bottom had been the one reliable positive of this most frustrating of seasons, but even that proved beyond a team who made it four games in a row – ironically since thumping highfliers Plymouth – without scoring a goal in open play.

How they could have done with some of Alfie May’s magical powers. A forward who had been introduced to the Football League by Darren Ferguson tormented his old mentor with two goals, one quite brilliant and the other just really good.

Cheltenham had already taken advantage of a sleepy Posh start – most obviously from goalkeeper Will Norris - to claim their first goal of the season from a set-piece from Tom Bradbury in the 16th minute when May launched the ball fully 50 yards over the head of a casual ‘keeper to make it 2-0.

May’s second, which completed the scoring, was a mere 20 yard smash into the roof of the net following a poorly defended long throw-in 15 minutes from time.

And make no mistake the visitors were well worth the margin of victory.

Ferguson was so appalled by the horrible opening he made two substitutions in the 26th minute and Posh did play better up to the break.

Joe Ward rattled the crossbar with a fierce strike and Jonson Clarke-Harris saw a ‘goal’ wiped out for offside. There were no complaints.

But Posh were woeful from start to finish in the secondhalf with substitute Joel Randall’s 91st minute shot the

only notable effort on goal.

Jack Taylor even picked up a caution for diving. That’s how desperate Posh had become.

MATCH FACTS Cheltenham goals

– Bradbury (16), May (21 & 75).

A failed attempt by Posh goalkeeper Will Norris to keep out Alfie May’s 50-yard shot.