Heartbreak for Peterborough United as a dominant play-off display went unrewarded

This young side have given so much pleasure for nine months and they battered an Oxford team in their final game of the season, but they just couldn’t break down a stubborn defence after the sides had traded goals towards the end of the first half. It’s Oxford who therefore go on to Wembley to face Bolton Wanderers with a 2-1 aggregate win under their belts. The 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium a few days earlier, when Posh didn’t play well at all, proved decisive.

Posh opened the scoring with a Josh Knight goal from a Harrison Burrows set-piece, but crucially they couldn’t hold on to their lead until the break as a succession of sloppy moments gave Cameron Brannagan the chance to equalise from the penalty spot.

Posh started the second half in blistering fashion, and finished it by coming close to a goal on several occasions, but a succession of time-wasting incidents, the reluctance of referee Andrew Kitchen to properly sanction some cynical fouling, some heroic defending and some unkind ricochets meant the season ended in disappointment.

Posh made two changes to their starting line-up with a predictable recall for attacking winger Kwame Poku in place of David Ajiboye and a win for Ricky-Jade Jones over Malik Mothersille in the battle for the centre-forward slot.

Oxford were unchanged from the team that started the 1-0 first leg win at the Kassam Stadium.

The visitors promised not to sit back in defence of their advantage, but they were pushed back for long periods with Ephron Mason-Clark causing problems when he wasn’t being fouled.

Oxford were a threat on the break though, particularly when Josh Murphy was involved. Knight made a couple of strong interventions when the winger threatened to create problems. Hector Kyprianou also made a timely tackle as Tyler Goodrham shaped to shoot from 18 yards.

The Posh set-pieces were good with Knight heading a Joel Randall corner over the crossbar and then forcing a save from Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming from a free kick before he volleyed a precise Burrows set-piece home rather skilfully at the far post four minutes before the break to level the aggregate scores.

Now was the time for Posh to ram home their advantage, but instead they imploded. Burrows gave the ball away after a corner was cleared, Archie Collins committed a foul on the edge of the area and Burrows the charged the free-kick only to give away a rather obvious handball for a penalty. Not ideal when Brannagan boasts a 100% record from the spot which he maintained comfortably, making it 10 out of 10 from the spot.

Posh found respond when Mason-Clark teed up Randall whose first-time shot was tipped behind by Cumming.

And Posh came out all guns blazing at the start of the second-half. They got round the back of the Oxford defence often. Jones set the tone with a storming run down the left wing, but his cross was intercepted as Poku waited to pounce.

Randall’s shot from a Mason-Clark cross was blocked by Joe Bennett’s face and a defender then reached a teasing cross from Burrows ahead of Jones and rather fortunately straight into his own goalkeeper’s hands.

On 64 minutes Mason-Clark found a route inside, but his 20-yarder was saved as Posh continued to probe and press.

Posh sent on the big guns, literally in the shape of Emmanuel Fernandez, and they peppered the Oxford goal in the final stages. A Jonson Clarke-Harris header from a Burrows corner was headed off the line by Sam Long, Fernandez header over after reaching a cross only he could have managed, and Knight’s header was saved at full length by Cumming.

Even with the last act of the game Posh almost took the game into added time. A long throw by Knight was headed on by Fernandez, but just out of reach of Mason-Clark.

The final whistle then blew with the officials leaving to a chorus of boos while the Posh players were applauded generously by a packed home crowd.

They deserved it. They can hold their heads very high.

Posh: Jed Steer, Harrison Burrows, Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight, Jadel Katongo (sub Jonson Clarke-Harris, 77 mins), Archie Collins, Hector Kyprianou, Ephron Mason-Clark, Joel Randall (sub Emmanuel Fernandez, 90 mins), Kwame Poku (sub David Ajiboye, 77 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones (sub Malik Mothersille, 67 mins).

Unused subs: Nicholas Bilokapic, James Dornelly, Ryan De Havilland.

Oxford: Jamie Cumming, Ciaron Brown, Elliott Moore, Joe Bennett (sub Marcus Browne, 86 mins), Fin Stevens (sub Sam Long, 46 mins), Cameron Branagan, Ruben Rodrigues, Owen Dale (sub Greg Leigh, 79 mins), Jacob Murphy, Tyler Goodrham (sub Marcus McGuane, 32 mins), Mark Harris.

Unused subs: Simon Eastwood, Josh McEachran, Billy Bodin.

GOALS: Posh – Knight (41 mins).

Oxford – Brannagan (pen, 45 + 2 mins).

CAUTIONS: Oxford – Harris (foul), Stevens (foul), Brown (foul).

REFEREE: Andrew Kitchen 5.

ATTENDANCE: 12,420 (approx 1350 Oxford).