Saints Return To Winning Ways With Inspired Team Performance

After a bitter defeat at the hands of top of the league Cambridge South, Saints came out determined to get all three points against City of Peterborough.

The game started with neither team really taking the initiative and both giving the ball away easily. It wasn't long, however, until there was a feisty spark of life breathed into it when Garth Mooney was given his marching orders for brainless dissent. Saints didn't let this hold them back; instead it spurred them on determinedly. In fact, no more than thirty seconds after Mooney's exit, Saints had taken the lead. Rhys Edwards had casually slotted the ball across the 'D', Joe Derby "dummied" a shot before Bradley Forsdick slotted home his 5th goal of the season.

It would've stayed 1-0 until half time had it not been for last week's Man of the Match, Rhys Edwards, giving the ball straight to a Peterborough forward in a catastrophic error. Peterborough equalised with the last touch of the half, much to the anguish of Edwards, goalkeeper Rob Morris and the rest of the Saints' team.

After serving a lengthy time on the bench as punishment for his early misbehaviour, Mooney returned to the fray determined to make amends. And indeed he did so within two minutes of the restart. An inch perfect pass down the left wing from left back David Humphrey resulted in a penalty corner being won by Nathan Read. The ball went right from the corner to Mooney who slapped the ball with tremendous force in to the corner of the goal.

Saints weren't done there though. Daniel Sutton finished sublimely after 50 minutes - his initial control of the ball at chest height was exquisite before turning and slotting past the keeper as cool as you like. In saying this though, he would go on to miss a sitter of an open goal later in the game.

Left back David Humphrey regularly made important tackles as well as advancing down the pitch with some penetrating runs. However it was his continual supply of excellent passes down the line to the forwards which would eventually earn him Man of the Match.

With a minute to go, and with Saints piling the pressure on a tiring 10 man Peterborough side, Brett Nunn finished off a superb team goal with a simple tap in. The deadly trio of Sutton, Forsdick and Nunn made the Peterborough defense look foolish rounding off a solid performance from the men in blue.

The win saw St. Neots move into 4th place, just a point behind third. Next week Saints make the trek to Horncastle without several key players. It'll be interesting if they can maintain the pressure on the top three teams.