Jon Taylor’s 3rd league goal of the season gave caretaker boss, David Robertson his third win as Peterborough boss. In a scrappy game neither side looked comfortable with difficult conditions but Taylor’s wind assisted cross deceived Alex Ciask in the Orient goal to give Peterborough their third straight win. Posh’s win moves them to 8th, outside the play off places on goal difference while Orient remain in 21st, a point a drift of safety.
In a poor game, Orient looked to bounce back from defeat to Bristol City while Peterborough looked to build on a fine victory at Sheffield United. It was clear to see conditions were not great with a strong wind and poor pitch to play football on. Much of the football was played in the air with the game littered with miss placed passes. Orient’s best moments came when playing on the break but Peterborough snuffed out the danger taking the lead after 26 minutes. Jon Taylor ran at Gary Sawyer down the right, whipping in a cross which picked up the strong wind and sailed in the far corner.
Peterborough searched for a second but Mcclean headed over before the break as neither side created clear cut chances. Maddison was introduced at the break and his corner was tapped just wide at the back post from Zakuani. Liverani threw on Darius Henderson and Dean Cox in search for an equaliser and both had efforts wide of the mark. Luke James was introduced as Boro went 4-3-3 to grab important second and Ciask saved well from James with 25 remaining. Romain Vincelot was stretchered off in second half after a tackle with Michael Bostwick, with what appears to be ligament damage. The game was fizzing out until Marcus Maddison saw red in added time after a late tackle on Luke O’Neil but 10 man Posh saw the game out.
Peterborough
Ben Alnwich 5.5 – Poor distribution in first half with several kicks out of play, not troubled in goal but made good save from a McAnuff header
Michael Smith 6 – Dealt with Orient well but not put in any danger during the match. Tried to support Jon Taylor when attacking
Gabriel Zakuani 6 – Handled Mooney and Dagnall well in defence, on another day could have given several fouls away. Unlucky not to score in second half from Maddison corner
Richard Santos 6 – Very physical performance, got better of Mooney and Henderson in defence. Took no chances in difficult conditions at Abax
Kgosi Ntlhe 6 – Pushed forward in first half well, did relatively okay in second half when O’Neil was attacking with Pritchard down the wing
Jon Taylor 7 – Scored the only goal of the game with a fluke cross flying beyond Ciask, looked lively while he was on, ran at Sawyer and caused him problems in the first half but may need to work on his final ball
Michael Bostwick 7 STAR MAN– Should have been booked but escaped a yellow card, won the midfield battle with Payne putting himself about both aerially and in tackles. Could have added a second but volley crept just over
Jack Payne 7 – Did well winning midfield over Orient counterparts, coped well in difficult conditions with wind and terrible pitch
Joe Newell 6 – Subbed at half time for Maddison, crossed well in first half and got forward well for Posh
Aaron Mcclean 6.5 – Fed of scraps for much of the game, physical present in attack winning fair amount of ball against Orient centre halves. Hurried them in second half, linked well in first half especially with Taylor
Connor Washington 6 – Lived of few chances in game with few attempts on goal. Linked well with Mcclean, hurried Orient in second half as they found it hard to deal with long ball
Substitutes
Marcus Maddison 5.5 – Quiet second half down the left, had to help Ntdlhe defend for periods in second half as Orient searched for a second. Sent off in stoppage time for late tackle on O’Neil
Kyle Vassell 6 – Replaced Newell at half time, caused a few problems for Orient but much down to Orient struggling to deal with conditions and long ball
Luke James 6 – Played as part of front 3 after introduced for Aaron Mcclean as searched for second goal. Unlucky not to score as Ciask saved well at near post following mishap in Orient’s backline
Leyton Orient
Alex Ciask 5 – Poor performance, struggled to deal with conditions which allowed Taylor to net the winner. Didn’t come for crosses and looked very nervous in between the sticks, little communication with back 4
Luke O’Neil 6 – Got forward well supporting Pritchard well in second half, put in some dangerous crosses for Henderson and Dagnall but booked for dissent in second half. Some poor decision making showing inexperience but will improve over time. Could have had a second yellow after a late tackle on Maddison when already on yellow
Scott Cuthbert 5.5 – Did fairly well in first half when conditions were in Orient’s favour, little communication with Baudry and Ciask in second half. Failed to deal with long ball from Peterborough putting O’s under pressure
Mathieu Baudry 5.5 – Struggled to deal with long ball from Peterborough in second half, communication lacking between himself, Cuthbert and Ciask causing their own problems
Gary Sawyer 5.5 – Allowed Taylor to run at him for the goal, struggled to deal with Taylor early on but improved throughout the match limiting options for winger
Bradley Pricthard 6 – Provided outlet on right for Orient, linked well with O’Neil but miss placed passes prevented flow and rhythm to play
Romain Vincelot 5 – Unfortunate to go off with ligament damage in second half, poor performance. Second to ball in midfield losing battle to Bostwick and Payne who wanted the ball more. Failed to complete simple passes
Josh Wright 5.5 – Struggled to get Orient moving up the pitch in poor conditions. Game littered with short or miss placed passes, losing midfield battle to Boro
Jobi McAnuff 5 – Provided little down the left getting angry with himself. Replaced by Cox in second half, lacklustre in possession and caught many times in first half when not releasing the ball early enough
David Mooney 5.5 – Struggled to win aerial ball against Zakuani and Santos, partnership didn’t seem to work with Dagnall in the game. Another day would have several free kicks after appearing to be fouled. Replaced by Henderson in second half
Chris Dagnall 6 – Fed of scraps for majority of game, tried to break away in first half but lacked support and final ball in attacking third. Didn’t link up well with Mooney or Henderson
Subs
Dean Cox 5.5 – Struggled to make impact after introduced from the bench. Grew as game wore on and went close with two attempts but doesn’t look properly match fit
Darius Henderson 5.5 – Tried to use physical presence in attack but Peterborough dealt well with front man.
Marvin Bartley – N/A replaced Vincelot late on in game, not enough time to make an impact