Peterborough United 3 Stockport County 0 ( Football League 1 ) Thursday 20 November 2025

 

 

 

 

“Top of the League ,We`re `aving a laugh” some County supporters sang late on in the game last night, but we weren`t laughing on a night that County`s slip showed alarmingly allowing Luke Williams` Peterborough United side  to claim  a 3-0 win at their wintry London Road stadium.

It was a dire night weather-wise ,and County`s performance mirrored the prevailing conditions, as the green shirted blues went 1 down within 6 minutes of the start and never quite recovered.

Yes, they made a better effort after the  break with Nathan Lowe on for Benony Andresson, but I can only recall home keeper Alex Bass being called on to make 1 save of any note and we had to wait until the third minute of added time for that.

When Ollie Norwood was in the team, I cannot recall anyone ever suggesting that we were a `one man team` but he did quietly massage the blues into coherent shape with his under-stated excellence and boy does his absence show up our deficiencies!

Despite the above, I am guessing we will still be up there amongst the League 1 leaders, so we grow a pair, keep the whingeing to a minimum and get behind the team starting with Barnsley at EP on the 29^th !

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I was quite positive at the start- the Flyer had got us to the stadium at just about the right time, despite an un-scheduled unavoidable detour en-route, and my latest attempt at establishing a new UK All Comers Layers Record looked on as I could be seen, but thankfully not recognised, cocooned in  a variety of winter apparel in the away end!

Mostly though I liked the fact that DC had gone for starting with Benony Andresson, and apart from that , bearing in mind our current injuries, the rest of the team looked  capable of making a game of it against a side enjoying something of a resurgence under Luke Williams` tutelage .

It took just 6 minutes for reality to bring me and 573 others in the delipidated away end down to earth, as a run down our left flank by Kioso ended with him threading the ball inside to where Ben Woods made himself available before despatching the ball beyond Hinchliffe into the County net.

That was an awful start- no challenge down out left flank and our central defence just stood off as Woods picked his spot!

For County, Olowu was having a good game, and County needed it to be so as Kyrell Lisbie looked capable of causing us issues and would have but for a couple of decisive interventions by Olowu in the first 15 minutes of play.

Nothing much was seen of Andresson as the game meandered on devoid of much in the way of incisive , well thought out moves.

To be fair , with 10 minutes left of the first half, not a lot was being shown by Posh either, so it was doubly galling to see them double their lead with 8 minutes of the half remaining.

Once again County`s defence was nowhere as United pushed forward – Hinchliffe going  full stretch to keep a goal bound shot out, only to parry the ball to Lisbie who slotted the ball home to the joy of the home specs.

It was snowing heavily now  , and with half time in view,  County were looking to get something back from the apparent wreckage of their EFL/Sky induced Thursday Evening- Camps was to the fore and made good headway into the box down the right only for his efforts to be wasted when the ball was played inside to others in green!

Posh came back at County again in the dying embers of the first half bourn on the wings of Harry Leonard who slinked into the box , green shirts melting away before him as he went. It looked alarming , even when the ball ran loose to the available Peter Kioso , until he hooked a speculative effort high over the bar.

That ended the first half , we could only hope for better in the next 45 minutes !

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When the action re-started, Lowe and Fevrier were on in place of Andresson and Camps, and Lowe was to the fore from the first moment of his introduction seeing his header saved by Bass on 50 minutes.

He looked lively and willing to try to make things happen- his pass to Fevrier in the next action lacked precision but I was favourably impressed with his approach, as he went close with a neat flick 10 minutes in.

Others in green  were trying too- Diamond was the usual mix of embryonic mazy runs and largely poor finishing- his effort on the end of a Fevrier pass easily dealt with by Bass.

It was clear that County would have to find something special to beat the home keeper, but could they?

Beyond the hour we saw Mothersille and Hunt on for Moxon and O`Keefe, and for a moment…..just a moment …I wondered as Mothersille unleashed a run that more than hinted at the quality we had been told was within him and not yet seen.

The Away End….for that moment must have had the same thought and roared loudly as he sped down the left. He had to settle for a corner ,and we were left aggrieved when Bass flapped prodigiously at the kick before being rescued in time honoured fashion by Referee Matthew Russell.

County were definitely making an effort now , being largely camped deep in Posh territory- Hunt getting involved to good effect briefly……Mothersille again in tandem with Pye , but Diamond  lofted his shot over the bar on the end of the duo`s good work- failing to test the keeper again minutes later  after another urgent move from County.

It was just sad though to see all this effort go to waste as Posh went further ahead with less than 15 minutes left to play- Woods going close before the ball landed with Khela who made it 3-0 from close in.

County continued to work at getting something from the game, but the away end knew the way things were going as verses of `Arthur Brownlow` followed growing louder and louder- good to hear it sung when it should be sung…when we are on our uppers in a game- well done lads!

We saw Bass forced to make a late save by the otherwise quiet Fevrier, and it was good to see DC give Che Gardner 10 minutes or so  - Che is a real talent one worth nurturing and giving a chance, but the game  ended with County losing 3-0 .

It wasn`t good to watch, but we take the hit and get behind the team as those heroes on the Flyer and 500 plus other County supporters who also made the effort did, meeting the days adversity with humour for the most part- well done all!

Here`s just a few of them…..

 image provided by Joan Plimmer

 

 

 

 

Peterborough United line up:-

Bass, Collins , Odoh (Khela 66) , lees , Woods , Lisbie ( O`Brien- Brady 82) , Mills , Morgan ( Frith 81) , Loenard ( Lindgren 73) O`Connor, Kioso.

Subs not used : Reyes , Johnston .

 

Stockport County line up :-

Hinchliffe , O`Keefe ( Hunt 63) , Olowu , Connolly , Pye , Moxon ( Mothersille 63) ,   Bailey , Diamond ( Gardner 80) , Camps (Fevrier 46),Wootton , Andresson ( Lowe 46).

Subs not used : Addai , Brogan .

 

Attendance ;6681 ( 574)

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