Matchday Memories: On This Day 2015 – See Sky Blue Blair Punish Posh In P’boro
On this day (28th March) in 2015 the Sky Blues had early in the new season been very pleased to make their first ‘Ricoh Return’ after their season and a bit’s exile at Northampton Town‘s Sixfields Stadium.
Now, also under new management Tony Mowbray having taken the Ricoh ‘hot seat’ on the first of this month, the Sky Blues travelled to Peterborough United to take on the Posh and came away with a narrow 1-0 win.
Former Sky Blue player Steven Pressley had been City ‘gaffer’ when, at the end of October at Sixfields, the Sky Blues had beaten the Posh (then in second place in League One) by the odd goal in five. City’s scorers in a stirring second half comeback that day, CCFC having been down 2-0 at half-time, were Ryan Haynes (48 mins), Jim O’Brien (61) and Frank Nouble two minutes later. The trio are all now Association members!
Today’s win gave the Sky Blues a welcome ‘double’ and was thanks to a piece of opportunism from substitute Blair Turgott who latched on to a looped defensive rebound after a shot from another sub. Sanmi Odelusi, to firmly net from a difficult angle.
The goal came with 21 minutes to go and the Sky Blues held on for the points to send home their 857 travelling fans (in a crowd of 7,325) very happy. Blair was a short term signing from West Ham United and this was his only goal in the three Sky Blue appearances he made. Sanmi was a loanee from Bolton Wanderers and scored three in fourteen games for City.
Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can watch brief highlights from the game by clicking on the image below:-
For the record, the Sky Blues team that day (CCFPA members underlined) was:-
Lee Burge, Jordan Willis, Chris Stokes, Matthew Pennington, Aaron Martin, Grant Ward, John Fleck (sub. Andy Webster –90), Dominic Samuels, Marcus Tudgay (sub. Sanmi Odelusi -40), Frank Nouble (sub. Blair Turgott -58) and Jim O’Brien (c)
Unused Subs. Conor Thomas, Adam Barton, Aaron Phillips and Reice Charles-Cook (gk)
The Posh (managed by caretaker boss Dave Robertson) put out the following team:-
Ben Alnwick, Michael Smith, Kgosi Ntlhe, Shaun Brisley, Christian Burgess, Michael Bostwick, Jon Taylor, Jack Payne (c), Luke James, Joe Newell (sub. Marcus Maddison -67 ) and Conor Washington (sub. Luke Williams -45) Unused Subs. Alan Sheehan, James Pearson, Harry Beautyman, Harry Anderson and Dion-Curtis Henry (gk) Referee: Ian Williamson
In a fairly nondescript season with plenty of ups and downs Mowbray’s men survived in seventeenth spot in League One with the Posh well out of the play-off positions in ninth. Bristol City went up as champions with runners up MK Dons and Preston North End who won the playoffs from third place.
Notts County, Crawley Town, Leyton Orient and bottom club Yeovil Town took the drop to League Two.
Thanks to CFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.