A hat-trick of home wins sees Peterborough Sports close in on the play-off places

Sports beat AFC Telford United 3-2 in front of 260 loyal fans at the Bee Arena with headed goals from Michael Gash, Maniche S ani and Richard Jones. The reaction from those tasked to step up following the broken leg suffered by top scorer Jordan Nicholson has been impressive.

The first ever clash between the two, saw Sports start well and within the first minute had secured their first corner of the afternoon after a fierce effort from Dion Sembie-Ferris was blocked.

Sports continued to be the dominant outfit and were rewarded with the lead on 9 minutes when the excellent Nathan Fox crossed from the left wing to find the head of Gash who powered the ball past the helpless Luke Pilling in the Telford goal into the top corner.

Telford were unable to get much of a foothold into the game and Sports made it 2-0 on 28 minutes when another pinpoint cross from Fox again found the head of a Turbines striker, this time it was Sani who sent a wonderful header into the top corner of the visiting net.

Sports looked good and in full control, but were pegged back on 35 minutes when Sembie-Ferris was penalised for a foul on the edge of the box, a clear penalty. Brendon Daniels stepped up, but a brilliant stop from Sports’ keeper Peter Crook went unrewarded as the ba;; to fall straight back at the feet of Daniels who smashed home, to give Sports a 2-1 lead at the interval.

Although the half-time lead was slender, Sports really had dominated proceedings and probably considered themselves unlucky to only have the one goal lead.

Sports returned to second half action on the front foot and a couple of efforts tested the Telford ‘keeper, but on 60 minutes the game’s big talking point happened. Ky Marsh-Brown was released through the middle and as he drove towards the penalty area he was hauled down by Pilling. It was one of those that could have easily be a red or a yellow card; on this occasion the excellent Leicestershire referee Ruebyn Ricardo opted for the yellow.

And six minutes later Sports had their third goal after a corner was only partially cleared by Telford. The ball came back across the box and skipper Jones got down low to head home to regain the two goal advantage.

Game over many in the ground thought, but Telford found an extra gear that had been missing for most of the game. A period of sustained pressure culminated in a second for them, with Montel Gibson converting from close range in the 81st minute.

They never really looked like getting a third though and the Turbines saw the game out to keep the 3 valuable points at the Bee Arena.

Next up is the visit of Wellingborough Town on Tuesday evening (7.34pm) in a quarter final tie in the Hillier Cup, before Sports welcome Curzon Ashton to the Bee Arena on Saturday (October 15) for the Emirates FA Cup 4th qualifying round with a place in the first round proper at stake.

Sports signed form Nottingham Forest defender Luca Doorbar-Baptist before the game. The Aussie started on the substitutes’ bench.

Sports: Crook, Williams-Lowe, Fox, Fryatt, R. Jones, Lawlor, Sembie-Ferris, Kenendy, Gash, Sani, Marsh-Brown. Subs; M. Jones, McCammon, Doorbar-Baptist, Sherif, Hilliard.