Peterborough United 2 (Swanson 24, Bostwick 71) Charlton 2 (Jackson 55, Haynes 58).
Kevin Nolan reports from London Road.
Kevin Nolan’s Match Report is brought to you in association with , 294 Burnt Ash Hill, London, SE12 0QD.
The only posh thing about Peterborough United is their nickname. A world away from the traditional, urban heartlands of English football, they fight their corner in the fenlands of Cambridgeshire in a tiny, dog-eared ground, supported by a small but passionate fanbase. Every season they are asked to “punch above their weight” and more often than not that’s exactly what they do. Forced to sell their best players to survive – most recently coveted midfielder George Boyd in the throes of yet another relegation scrap- they gamely re-group and carry on. There’s much to admire about them until, of course, you have to play them. Then it can be the stuff of recurrent nightmares, as more than one fancied team have found out.
With four points from their last seven games, Charlton were out-of-form visitors to London Road. Two demoralising home defeats, without a goal to show in either of them, hardly sent them out on the road again in the best of shape. But away from The Valley, where their dismal record undermines them like a virus invading their system, they are a vastly different proposition. They matched United blow-for-blow in a spirited, sometimes chaotic encounter and, in coming away with a precious point, fended off their hosts for the time being. If Chris Powell keeps them in the Championship, then it’s job done. Make that bloody well done.
The bright start the Addicks made to this pulsating match was a reproach to the nervous, crabbed attitude they bring to home games. Free from care, they tore into startled Posh and, with a little more luck, might built a winning position before United pulled themselves together.
As early as the fourth minute, Lawrie Wilson bludgeoned his way through abortive handball appeals before letting fly with a ferocious left-footed drive which cannoned back off the underside of the bar. Then Ricardo Fuller drove a low ball across the six-yard box, with Danny Haynes a desperate toe’s-width from applying a scoring touch. By the time, however, that both Haynes’ volleyed snapshot and Fuller’s header from Wilson’s centre were saved by Bobby Olejnik, Charlton’s opening storm was beginning to subside.
Their usual madcap selves, meanwhile, United announced their recovery with a chance squandered by resolute centre back Gabriel Zakuani. Favoured by the bounce after Tommy Rowe’s header from Grant McCann’s inswinging corner was blocked by David Button, Zakuani blasted over the top from the penalty spot. The visitors were still exhaling in relief when Posh took the lead.
Bit-part midfielder Danny Swanson, without a goal to his name this season, took off on a solo run in as much hope as expectation. Charlton’s defence melted in front of him, with Michael Morrison embarrassed by an unintentional nutmeg, before Swanson finished coolly past the advancing Button from 15 yards. It was a bitter blow which might have gone from bad to worse but for Button’s alert save from Dwight Gayle, with impeccable Chris Solly caught out for once.
A minute after the break, Lee Tomlin squandered a golden opportunity to put clear daylight between the teams. Played through a statuesque defence by Swanson’s defence-splitting pass, the chunky playmaker’s low shot should have found the bottom right corner but instead clipped a post. It was a bad miss for which Posh paid almostly immediately as the Addicks punished their profligacy with a quickfire two-goal salvo.
One day after his 19th birthday, hot prospect Callum Harriott had flickered through a difficult first half but resumed in more determined mood. His delightful pass dovetailed with Johnnie Jackson’s clever diagonal run and the skipper took a steadying touch before finishing across Olejnik into the far bottom corner. United were still absorbing the blow when Haynes emphatically cleared up the debris left by Olejnik’s save from Morrison by enthusiastically hammering the rebound into the roof of the net.
Facing such mercurial opposition as Posh, a third goal was a clear priority but after eluding an out-of-position Olejnik, Haynes’ chip from an awkward angle was alertly cleared off the line by Zakuani. It was the Addicks’ turn to suffer as another unexpected scorer made them pay.
Encouraged to advance into Charlton’s half, like Swanson before him, centre back Michael Bostwick chanced his arm from 25 yards and squeezed a forceful shot between Button and his left hand post. It was hardly the worst of goalkeeping howlers but Bostwick’s speculative effort should have been saved. As already observed, though, you never know what to expect from freewheeling Posh.
And it might have got worse during a wild and woolly added time melee, during which Button magnificently saved Rowe’s point-blank header and Jackson miraculously conjured the loose ball to safety while lying prone on the goalline. Referee Langford’s final whistle, at that desperately late stage, was music to the Addicks’ ears; yet another last gasp setback would have asked too much of their frazzled fans. The occasional coronary, more than likely.
Peterborough: Olejnik, Little, Zakuani (Brisley 72), Bostwick, Rowe, Payne, Swanson (Barnett 74), Tomlin, McCann (Ferdinand 59), Mendez-Laing, Gayle. Not used: Day, Alcock, Newell, Knight-Percival.
Charlton: Button, Solly, Taylor, Morrison, Wiggins, Wilson, Pritchard, Jackson, Harriott, Haynes (Dervite 90), Fuller (Obika 77). Not used: Hamer, Hughes, Evina, Wagstaff.
Referee: O. Langford. Att: 6,050