On Saturday, at Sincil Bank, City gained another point against Peterborough United, who were vying for promotion.
We kept the same lineup from last weekend’s draw with Derby, according to Michael Skubala. Lasse Sorensen, Adam Jackson, Alex Mitchell, and Sean Roughan made up the starting back four behind goalie Lukas Jensen. Ted Bishop started at the centre of the pitch once more, with Ethan Hamilton and Ethan Erhahon following him. Freddie Draper and Joe Taylor remained as the attacking duo, while Reeco Hackett made his second start since returning from injury. The only player to return to the team was Danny Mandroiu, who took Ali Smith’s place once his ban ended.
As could be expected, Peterborough had a lot of possession early in the game, but we were doing a good job of keeping Darren Ferguson’s team confined to their own half. We had the first opportunity of the game even though we had all of the possession. Sorensen’s long throw created problems in the box, and after a few touches, Bishop was inside. However, the former Ipswich resident was unable to control his effort and blasted over the bar.
We looked the most likely to score, although the visitors threatened with a couple of short corner routines. Harrison Burrows on the left had the ball nicked by Sorensen as Peterborough attempted to play out of the back. The Dane advanced, outpacing his man, but his effort hit the side netting.
The first City player to test Jed Steer was Erhahon. Erhahon and Taylor were at the centre of our successful ball-steal on the perimeter of the area. The Scotsman attempted a long-range shot, but Steer, the custodian, easily stopped it.
Peterborough appeared hazardous, and this was not unexpected. With an average of two goals per game over the last six games, Ferguson’s club leads the league in scoring. The visitors made a lovely flowing move down the right-hand side and almost seized the lead. David Ajiboye was released down the wing ahead of Roughan by Jadel Katongo after the latter sent a deft ball to him. The former Sutton player teased Ricky Jade-Jones with a ball.
Out of the two head coaches, Skubala would have been happiest as the first half came to an end. We had played a pretty solid forty-five minutes; we threatened to attack and held Peterborough at bay on defence. In the first half, Bishop stood out to me the most because he was a dangerous midfielder who always tried to come forward and create an opening when he acquired the ball. The first half went well, but we needed to make sure they maintained their high performance levels since Peterborough had some scary moments that we needed to contain.
Ferguson, hoping for a response from his players, sent his team out early in the second half. They had a strong start to the second half, forcing Jensen into an incredible diving save just after the interval thanks to a strike from
Burrows. Ajiboye got the rebound after the Dane parried the shot, but he was unable to capitalise on the opportunity.
We wanted to be involved in the match as well, so it was a true end-to-end competition in front of a sizable Sincil Bank audience. Draper was played a smart ball by Roughan in the channel. The Peterborough defender was repelled by the Imps academy graduate, who then made a wonderful pass to set up Hackett for a score. The winger pushed through a save out of Steer but couldn’t quite get the opening goal.
Skubala then attempted to find the winning goal by using the bench. Bishop was replaced by Mandroiu, while Taylor, who put in a lot of effort and handwork but had a quiet afternoon, was replaced by Jack Moylan. Prior to suffering the injury, Bishop was one of our best players. Hopefully, this is only a precaution, and he will be ready for Burton the following Saturday.
When Mandroiu entered the game, he got right into the action and had the opportunity to put us ahead. The Irishman found Sorensen on the right with a beautiful ball, splitting the Peterborough defence open. Although the Dane was unable to complete his shot, Mandroiu was able to grab the rebound. The former Shamrock player had a great chance when the ball fell to him again, but he missed the post with his initial attempt.
Draper also had the chance to advance us. Ronnie Edwards and Josh Knight made an unusual mistake at the defence as a result of a long pass from Sorensen, allowing Draper to use his strength and force to get through on goal. The teenager, 19, attempted the shot slightly off balance and fired his effort just over the bar. Draper once again impressed me, in the last three weeks he’s played against some very experienced and highly rated defenders and dominated them. Saturday was no different, he used his body well and I can’t wait for him to start getting on the scoresheet because it’s certainly coming.
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