Scarborough Athletic battle back for a home draw against Peterborough Sports

They almost went ahead in the seventh minute, when Aidan Rutledge dinked a ball forward to Olly Dyson, who lobbed keeper Peter Crook, but Sports player-boss Michael Gash kicked clear, writes Steve Adamson.

Will Thornton then headed over from a Harry Green corner, and the outstanding Alex Brown shot narrowly wide.

Sports absorbed the early pressure, and went ahead from their first attack on 11 minutes, as Dan Lawlor hoisted a free-kick forward, and Gash fired in from close range.

Rurledge’s mazy dribble was halted by Josh McCammon’s tackle and Brown and Dom McHale had long-range shots tipped away by Crook, while Gash won some towering headers at the back.

At the other end, Bailey Gooda intercepted a through-ball towards Mark Jones, but Boro, with the wind at their backs, continued to press forward. McHale had a shot charged down by Jones, Brown fired over, then on 33 minutes Green burst down the left, passed inside to Alex Wiles, and he laid off to Rutledge, who crashed his shot against the bar, with McHale heading the rebound goalwards, but Crook saved acrobatically. A McHale shot was then blocked by Hugh Alban-Jones.

Sports created three chances in quick succession, the pacy Dion Sembie-Ferris passed into the area, and Jordan Nicholson’s shot forced a diving save from Ryan Whitley, then Whitley tipped away a Sembie-Ferris shot, and McCammon fired into the side-netting.

Shortly before the interval Alex Wiles won possession, passed to Rutledge, and he laid off to Green, whose shot was deflected wide by Ryan Fryatt.

The visitors enjoyed a good spell early in the second half, and Sembie-Ferris raced into the area, but was halted by Thornton’s strong tackle, then an in-swinging corner from Nicholson was plucked from under the bar by Whitley.

Boro switched to three at the back with Colville pushed forward from his left-back role, and a ball across the box from McHale was met by the rampaging Brown, whose low shot was saved by the legs of keeper Crook, then a Green strike was blocked by Lawlor.

The equaliser arrived on 54 minutes when Colville’s pass found Wiles, who twisted and turned before firing goalwards, the ball deflecting off a defender and looping over the keeper.

Wiles and McHale combined to set up Green, who shot narrowly wide, then Peterborough almost regained the lead, when Sembie-Ferris beat the offside trap and squared to Nicholson in the area, but his shot was met with a brilliant one-handed save from Whitley.

Both sides searched for a winner, a McHale cross was headed just over by Rutledge, and Dyson fired narrowly over, while at the other end Whitley was bundled into the net by a Peterborough striker as he gathered a high ball, Matt Tootle laid off to Mark Jones, who blazed over, McCammon fired wide, and a Nicholson shot was blocked by Gooda.

For Boro, Lewis Maloney’s 25-yard strike drifted wide, the impressive Wiles burst into the area and went down under a challenge, but penalty appeals were waved away, and Dom Tear’s ball into the goalmouth was hacked clear by the excellent Gash.

At the end a McHale shot was pushed away by Crook, and a Maloney strike was deflected wide by Tootle.

This wasn’t Boro’s best performance of the season, but they’ve played better and lost, so a draw isn’t such a bad result, and they remain third in the table and still on track for the play-offs.

BORO - Whitley, Brown, Colville, McHale, Thornton(c), Gooda, Purver, Wiles, Rutledge (Tear 80), Dyson, Green (Maloney 70)

PETERBOROUGH - Crook, Tootle, Fox, Fryatt, McCammon, Gash, Alban-Jones, Lawlor, Jones(c), Nicholson, Sembie-Ferris

REFEREE - Harry Warner

GOALS - BORO - Alex Wiles 54 PETERBOROUGH - Michael Gash 11

CORNERS - BORO 6 PETERBOROUGH 4

GOAL ATTEMPTS - BORO 18 (7 on target) PETERBOROUGH 9 (5 on target)

YELLOW CARDS - BORO- Alex Purver PETERBOROUGH- Mark Jones

(SPONSORS) BORO MAN OF MATCH - Dom McHale

(SCARBOROUGH NEWS) BORO MAN OF MATCH - Alex Brown

ATTENDANCE - 1,584 (34 away)