The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Are Posh hurtling towards the League One play-offs?
It helps to have the momentum of a runaway train at this time of a season.
And, while others have started to flounder, Posh appear to be hurtling towards the play-off places at a rapid rate, writes Alan Swann.
This was win number five from six unbeaten games. Goals are flowing, and not just from the skipper, and a run of five games without conceding a goal was only thwarted by a daft goalkeeping error.
The blunder by Will Norris when allowing a soft volley from Rekeem Harper to squirm out of his grasp two minutes into the second half was a momentum shifter.
Posh had barely broken sweat in establishing a 2-0 half-time lead courtesy of a slice into his own net by visiting defender Alex Hartridge – Kwame Poku supplied the cross – and a high-class finish from Ephron MasonClark – after a fine chip from Oliver Norburn – but they started to struggle against a high press and some neat passing moves from a gifted Exeter side.
Jack Sparkes headed against a post and Pierce Sweeney converted a freekick only for referee Charles Breakspear to spot a shove.
The impressive Sam Nombe headed a corner just wide before Posh manager Darren Ferguson changed his formation to devastating effect 20 minutes from time.
A switch to wing-backs enables Nathanael Ogbeta to play with forward freedom and his terrific cross led to a tap-in for captain Jonson Clarke-Harris after deflections off Sweeney and goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.
A strengthening wind made it hard for Posh to get out of their own half in the final 15 minutes, but there were no further alarms for a team who are piling the pressure on two of the biggest clubs in the division, Derby and Bolton and so far they haven’t coped.
MATCH FACTS Goals: Posh – Hartridge (og, 9 mins), Mason-Clark (41 mins), Clarke-Harris (71 mins). Exeter – Harper (47 mins).
Posh cautions – Clarke-Harris (delaying the restart), Kyprianou (foul)
Referee – Charles Breakspear 7.
Attendance: 8,261 (479 Exeter).