Paul Taylor is fast becoming the signing of the season for Posh. He has had a chequered background but under the guidance of Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson he is starting to blossom and show just what potential he has.
Following a battling first half performance by Posh which saw Middlesbrough dominate without creating many clear cut chances; Posh eventually turned the screw in a determined performance.
At half time, Posh had battled their way to a 0-0 draw, which is a rarity this season, but they had yet to register a shot!! The performance, witnessed by over 10,000 fans, gave the impression Posh were attempting to break their 92 game run without a goalless draw!
The second half couldn`t have been more different and in truth, it was down to the breakthrough Middlesbrough made early in the second half which forced Posh to change things around and finally make their offensive threat cause problems for Boro.
Boro took a deserved lead 9 minutes after the break when a training ground corner from Tony McMahon was headed powerfully into the back of the net by Matthew Bates. Posh keeper Paul Jones stood no chance with the header but in all honesty he had very little to do in the afternoon thanks to the determined defending by the players in front of him.
In the 64th minute, Posh finally created their first real notable chance of the game which fell to George Boyd but his effort was saved well by Boro keeper Jason Steele.
The final 30 minutes of the game was more what like Posh fans have come to expect with a gritty defensive display combined with an all out attack. Ryan Tunnicliffe had come on for the disappointing Lee Frecklington while Emile Sinclair came on for Tommy Rowe and these changes made all the difference. Shortly after Boyd had Posh`s first real attempt at goal, an excellent solo run by left back Tom Kennedy ended with his powerful shot striking the upright.
With Posh now on top, it was no real surprise that they got the goal they deserved. Emile Sinclair broke down the right wing and put a cross into the box which was only partially cleared to Tomlin. The ball rebounded off Tomlin to Taylor who struck a sweet volley from just inside the box which went over keeper Steele and into the far corner of the net.
Having now gone behind in 14 out of 18 League games this season, boss Darren Ferguson is getting rather frustrated as he said to www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk: “To keep coming from behind to get points shows what a great spirit we have in the camp.
“I bet the opposition managers always go on about how we keep going and I`m very proud of the attitude that the players show on a weekly basis.
“But it`s not something we should have to do quite so often. Losing the first goal will hurt us if we keep doing it.
“We changed our shape for the first part of this game because I wanted us to deliver a solid first-half display in the knowledge that we always finish a game strongly.
“I was happy with the first half even though we didn`t pass the ball anywhere near as well as we can, but we kept them out comfortably.
“We were always planning to bomb on a bit more in the second half, but the game-plan went out of the window with their goal.
“However, fair play to the lads because they stuck at it and in the end a draw was probably a fair result.”
Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray was equally frustrated but mainly because he saw his team throw away more valuable points that could, come the end of the season, prove very costly to their ambition of promotion. Mowbray said “We dominated for an hour, scored our goal and I couldn`t really see them equalising.
“But one weak clearance and a fine finish cost us two points. All credit to Peterborough because they changed their game, passed the ball a bit longer and put us under some pressure, but I`m very disappointed not to be celebrating a win
“It`s okay having these long unbeaten runs, but if you`re drawing too many games it doesn`t get you anywhere.
“We`ve played well in our last two matches, but drawn them both. We`d have been better off winning one and losing one.
“This match was ours for the taking, but we still played well. We look a very solid side, one that will create chances and defend well.”
Join Vital Peterborough United!
With news and views, along with a forum, polls and article comments, everything you need in a fans site is right here!
Vital Posh is 100% interactive. Not only can you have your say on the articles and the forum but you can also suggest an article or a poll so you can air your views.
So why not join Vital Posh today?
It’s easy to REGISTER HERE. Simply click the link and enjoy getting involved!.
Message Board
To visit the message board, click here.
Get involved
This website is your website and we are looking for people to help run the site. Do you go to most of the games and have an opinion? Why not write a match report? Perhaps you are a budding journalist or even just someone who is very opinionated? Well why not join our team? If this interests you please contact Vital Posh at peterborough@vitalfootball.co.uk .
Vital Peterborough is also on:
