12-12-2013 19:45 
Thurlow Nunn Youth West Division
ST NEOTS TOWN U18 2 PETERBOROUGH NS U18 1
Peterborough paraded their 100% league record so far this season at the Cozy Stadium but St Neots still smarting from their defeat at Chatteris in their last game produced the shock of the season by sending their visitors’ home empty handed. However that had looked a highly unlikely outcome when after 57 minutes defender Kelton Stringer had committed a very careless challenge to earn a second yellow card leaving his side to complete just over half an hour with ten men. At that time St Neots led 1-0 and to compound Stringer’s misery from the resultant free kick the visitors scored an equalising goal. However the visitors never looked capable of making their numerical superiority count and St Neots scored a late winner to earn full points. They must be indebted to goalkeeper Dan Huff who before the sending off had produced three outstanding saves when faced with one on one situations that had looked certain to produce goals for the visitors.
The first half was largely a scrappy affair with neither side producing the form that they are capable of. Stringer was booked as early as the 11th minute when he tripped Ben Mucklin as the striker burst through. St Neots did create a couple of openings but Blake Rivers shot wide after good work by David Hartley and the lively Junior Muya saw his shot deflected for a corner. The visitors best first half chance came from an Aaron Warrener corner that was headed wide by the unmarked Joshua Sanders. Eight minutes before the break Mucklin was played clear of a square lying St Neots defence but with time and space he saw his shot pushed away by the exposed Huff. Then with just two minutes to go before half time a Rivers corner found the head of Dom Poli and his well directed finish left visiting goalkeeper Aaron Dunmore helpless. Peterborough launched another attack from the kick off and in a repeat of the earlier incident it was Warrener who was played clear byu Mucklin but once again Huff kept his sides’ lead intact.
The second half saw St Neots asleep as after 30 seconds Huff again performed heroics with Mucklin guilt of a second bad miss but it was the Stringer sending off that changed the pattern of the match. Peterborough levelled with the free kick superbly curled in by Marcelle Schiavone and this seemed to spur St Neots. With Muya pulled back to plug the defence they sent on Luke Day up front and he was unlucky not to restore the lead when his narrow angled shot was cleared off the line with Dunmore out of position. Both side switched their approach with substitutes on but it was ten man St Neots who created the better openings with Day denied by a goalpost. A share of the points looked likely as the sides tired but with two minutes left a Rivers free kick was not cleared and the ball fell to Rukky Diejomaoh and he produced a stunning volley through the packed penalty are to win the match.
St Neots: Huff, Hartley (C), Harper-Scott, Poli, Stringer, Williams, Hobbs, Hartley (D), Muya, Diejomaoh, Rivers
Sub used: Day, Clark and White
Cards: Stringer (RED – 2 x Y - 11 & 57)
Goals (St Neots): Poli (43 mins), Diejomaoh (88 mins)
John Walker
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