Posh and spice

Peterborough 2

One point gained or two lost? A rousing home opener left City and their drained fans with mixed emotions at Valley Parade.

A day which most of us, during the darkest moments, feared was never going to dawn ended in a pulsating manner.

City levelled against Peterborough with only five minutes left with a rare goal from David Wetherall - and then dramatically wasted the chance to win it when Michael Symes missed a penalty in stoppage time.

City, who had again scored first through Dean Windass, certainly put their supporters through the emotional mixer before getting off the mark in League One.

Windass was well out of it by then. He had been on the treatment table since being stretchered off just a third of the way into an incident-packed encounter.

When it began, though, everything seemed to be going to plan for Colin Todd and his troops.

Nicky Summerbee, never the crowd favourite, had received a few boos before the game but jeers quickly became cheers as he set about unhinging Peterborough's left side.

Maybe stoked up by the news that Todd wants to sign Jamie Lawrence, Summerbee looked far sharper than at Hartlepool as he provided the pass for Windass to score his second goal in as many games after nine minutes.

Summerbee fended off a half-hearted attempt from David Farrell on the touchline and had all the time in the world to cross low into the danger zone. Centre half Sagi Burton allowed the ball to slip through his legs and there was Windass in his golden boots to show a scoring touch to match.

For a few minutes, confidence surged through the City veins as Ben Muirhead tried an ambitious chip from 25 yards and Summerbee skinned Peter Kennedy

But City's fun did not last long as Posh's muscular, long-ball style began to take hold.

Wayne Jacobs, the only survivor from the last time the two teams met nine years ago, somehow scooped a Farrell shot over his own bar from point-blank range. But there was no escape when Peterborough struck from a corner a few minutes later.

And again fingers will be pointed at goalkeeper Ross Turnbull. Nobody picked up Clive Platt from Kennedy's kick but his header still came from 15 yards out and Turnbull will not be happy that it squeezed through his frantic grab on the goalline.

That goal killed the mood among the City fans and worse was to follow on the half-hour when Windass lay prone in the centre circle. The striker landed awkwardly after competing for a high ball with Craig Ireland and there was a worried hush as Peterborough defender Andy Legg immediately signalled for a

stretcher.

Windass was carried to the edge of the pitch but not immediately replaced as physio Steve Redmond assessed the damage. It was soon obvious he was in no state to continue but fortunately the ankle injury turned out to be less serious than everyone feared.

His departure, following Lewis Emanuel's Achilles problem at Hartlepool, did mean that City's wafer-thin squad had worryingly already lost two players within the first two hours of the season.

The absence of Windass robbed Todd of one of the pillars of his side as he was forced to pitch in Kevin Sanasy alongside the equally-inexperienced Symes.

City tried to keep the ball on the floor more and had Sanasy anticipated the cross a little earlier after a slick inter-change between Symes and Summerbee, the 20-year-old could have had another goal to go with his one against Wimbledon in April.

Todd switched his wingers round for the second half to unleash Muirhead's extra pace against Kennedy, who was far slower than Adam Newton on Peterborough's right.

While Muirhead quickly seized the opportunity and smacked a shot across the face of goal from the angle of the box, it negated Summerbee, who struggled to make any headroom on his wrong side.

Kennedy may have had his hands full coping with Muirhead's speed but he found time to push forward with deadly effect - and fire Peterborough in front.

Inevitably the goal was a product of a booming throw-in from Legg. City knew it was coming but they failed to deal with the danger as the missile came arrowing into the penalty area, eventually falling at the feet of Kennedy who swept home neatly into the bottom corner of Turnbull's net.

A feeling of despair began to seep through Valley Parade. Given the awful home record last season it was no surprise that many were thinking: Here we go again.

For a while it seemed that Peterborough would find a third goal that would surely put the game out of reach. Legg hurled another throw virtually 40 yards into the City goal-mouth while Curtis Woodhouse seized on Summerbee's discomfort at having to come inside to easily rob the winger before lashing wide.

Todd juggled his wingers again and Summerbee was back in his favourite territory to lob a deep cross to the far post where Steve Schumacher pulled off a thundering challenge on Tyler before hooking over from close in.

That proved to be Summerbee's last involvement and he was replaced by Tom Penford, who like Sanasy is not afraid of making things happen in and around the opposing goal.

And six minutes from time he had an assist in the bizarre goal that forced City back from the brink.

Penford's pass 20 yards out found Muirhead, who continued the shoot-on-sight policy that he hopes will reap a decent scoring tally. He skewed the shot completely but straight at Wetherall who was in the perfect spot to divert the ball flying past the helpless Tyler.

Valley Parade was alive again although referee Scott Mathieson soured the mood with a crazy yellow card after the skipper stepped off the pitch as he celebrated. He was pushed by the sheer weight of team-mates leaping on his back - whatever happened to common sense?

But City's adrenaline was pumping and Peterborough were paying for their complacency. So assured a few minutes before, the Posh were hanging on desperately for the final whistle.

Their nerves were betrayed with some comical attempts to clear a Muirhead cross which dropped perfectly for Penford. Glory beckoned but the midfielder snatched at it and skied into the Kop.

City were not finished and as Darren Holloway hung a long ball into the penalty area, Schumacher was shoved to the ground by Burton.

The home side had a penalty and Schumacher celebrated as if the goal had already been scored. But with no Windass, there was no obvious candidate to be put on the spot.

The experienced guys were conspicuous by their absence as Schumacher and Symes both moved to grab the ball. It went to the striker who tried to chip rather than blast it but ended up missing by a few feet.

It was a bum note to end on but the pulsating finale should have left the fans hungry for more against Doncaster on Saturday.