Peterborough 2 Walsall 1 - Report and pictures

In a game that was widely expected to be called off before kick-off due to a storm named ‘the Beast from the East’ the Saddlers took a first-half lead following a well-worked Julien Ngoy goal.

But two pieces of poor defending saw the hosts grab the points. First, Nicky Devlin’s under-hit back pass allowed Omar Bogle to nip in and score.

Erhun Oztumer then lost possession inside the box in the build-up to Jack Baldwin firing in from 12-yards.

Prior to those Posh goals, the home side saw a Marcus Maddison penalty saved by Liam Roberts.

George Dobson also should have been awarded a spot-kick for Jon Whitney’s side only to booked for simulation.

The second-half descended into somewhat of farce with the pitch covered in snow a couple of inches deep.

But after an interval that saw grounds staff and some Posh player pick up shovels to clear the lines, Peterborough held on for the win.

In naming his starting line-up, boss Whitney made two changes from the team that fell to defeat against Blackburn on Saturday.

With Joe Edwards ruled out with a knee injury, youngster Maz Kouhyar came in for his first league start of the season. Ngoy was also restored up front at the expense of Justin Shaibu.

It meant the Saddlers lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Kouhyar wide on the left, Kieron Morris on the right and Ngoy the lone frontman.

Peterborough, under the guidance of caretaker boss David Oldfield following the sacking of Grant McCann on Sunday, lined up in a 4-4-2 system that saw Jack Marriott partner Bogle in attack.

Posh entered the game amid mounting speculation Steve Evans – who was watching from the stands - was about to be appointed their new manager after he resigned from Mansfield just an hour before kick-off.

Yet it was the Saddlers who made a flying start to the match with Whitney’s side taking the lead in the ninth minute following some wonderful combination play between Ngoy and Erhun Oztumer.

The former Posh schemer split the home side’s defence with a perfectly weighted through ball. And Ngoy then kept his composure to jink past Jonathan Bond and fire into an empty net.

Incredibly, Peterborough responded instantly with Marriott bursting past Jack Fitzwater and into the box before being tumbled to the floor by the Albion loanee.

Referee Lee Swabey pointed to the spot with Marcus Maddison stepping up to take the penalty.

The winger looked to catch out Roberts with a cheeky dink down the middle. But while the keeper had dived, he managed to stick up a leg to save the strike.

After the frantic opening, the game settled down as the half reached its midway point. But with the snow coming down in heavy spurts, both teams went close from distance.

First, Michael Docherty hit a dipping volley onto the roof of the net from 25-yards. Morris then saw two low drives from the edge of the box held by Bond.

But the opening half-hour had seen Walsall play some of their best football of the season with Oztumer pulling the strings in midfield and Morris and Devlin looking dangerous down the right.

And they twice came close to doubling their advantage. First, Devlin hit the byline before picking out Oztumer with a low cross. But, leaning back, the 26-year-old was unable to get his strike on target.

Then in the 37th minute, the Saddlers should have extended their lead further only to be denied by some poor referring.

Morris and Dobson combined well in the box but just as the former West Ham man was about to shoot, he was pulled back by Jack Baldwin.

But instead of awarding a penalty, referee Swabey booked Dobson for simulation, much to the fury of Whitney in the Saddlers dugout.

To add salt into the wounds, Peterborough then went on to haul themselves level five minutes before the break – with Devlin selling Roberts short with an under-hit back pass and Bogle nipping in for an easy finish.

Walsall’s poor defending continued after the re-start with the visitors falling behind in the 52nd minute.

After initially doing well to win the ball from Maddison in the box, Oztumer then lost possession to the winger who drilled a strike against the post.

But the ricochet fell kindly for Baldwin who steered a low strike into the net from 12-yards.

With Posh now looking the more dangerous of the two teams, Whitney made his first change in the 70th minute with Amadou Bakayoko replacing Morris.

And the change proved a positive one with Walsall twice coming close to pulling level shortly after.

First, Kouyhar hit a low drive from 25-yards that a diving Bond did well to tip away. Then from the resultant corner, Luke Leahy flicked a header onto the cross following a whipped Oztumer delivery.

Incredibly, with the snow lashing down, the game endured a long pause while grounds staff and some Posh players then grabbed shovels to clear the lines around the penalty areas and on the side of the pitch.

Following the delay, it was the home side who threatened next with a lofted ball putting Marriott through on goal. But on the angle, the striker flashed a strike across the face of goal but wide.

At the other end, Fitzwater almost connected with a hooked George Dobson cross only to see Bond get to the delivery first and push the ball away.

But on pitch now covered in snow, Posh held on to claim all three points with the Saddlers having seen poor defending cost them what would have been a deserved point.

Teams:

Peterborough: Bond, Shepherd, Hughes, Baldwin, Taylor, Forrester, Maddison, Ward, Dougherty, Bogle (Morias 66), Marriott.

Subs not used: O’Malley, Lloyd, Da Silva Lopes, Anderson, Freestone, Cooper.

Walsall: L. Roberts, Devlin (Cuvelier 86), Fitzwater, Guthrie, Leahy, Chambers, Morris, Dobson, Oztumer, Kouhyar (Shaibu 77), Ngoy.

Subs not used: Gillespie, K. Roberts, Kinsella, Flanagan.