Seventh heaven for Peterborough as Jonson Clarke-Harris and Sammie Szmodics obliterate injury-hit Accrington

Despite sitting second in League One, a home clash against Accrington Stanley was thought to be a tough test for Peterborough United.

The Posh came into the match having won just one of their last six matches, suffering defeats to Burton, Hull and Blackpool in the process. Despite their league position, Darren Ferguson’s side have struggled to see off sides at the bottom end of the table, perhaps best highlighted by their capitulation away at Rochdale last weekend.

Nonetheless, they remained heavy favourites to see off Accrington and keep their place in the automatic promotion places. But nobody could’ve quite predicted what was to come next.

Jonson Clarke-Harris prodded in two early goals to send Peterborough 2-0 up in under ten minutes, before Sammie Szmodics added a third goal midway through the first half. The break was warmly welcomed by Accrington, but they fell even further behind just three minutes after the restart when Szmodics fired in his second goal of the game.

Clarke-Harris, who was struggling with an injury that he picked up in the first half, sealed his hat-trick and Posh’s fifth just after the hour mark before being substituted. Mo Eisa and Idris Kanu both picked up their first league goals of the season in the final 15 minutes, rounding out an astonishing 7-0 victory for the hosts.

It was exactly what they needed.

Peterborough’s position in the automatic promotion places has been placed severely under threat due to their recent dip in form. Sunderland have been unbeaten since the start of February and have made significant ground on the Cambridgeshire outfit, closing the gap between second and third place to just two points.

The Posh’s thrashing of Accrington will undoubtedly boost their confidence ahead of a tough promotion run-in that sees them face six sides in the top half of the table in their last nine games. In their six previous matches, they had scored just seven goals – three of which came in the draw away at Rochdale.

Clarke-Harris’ hat-trick feels especially important, considering that he’s scored just one of his side’s seven goals in their six match blip. The 26-year-old didn’t face much of a challenge to score the three goals, as Accrington’s defence did little to prevent him from doing so. Nonetheless, his movement to get into the right positions to score the goals cannot be ignored, and neither can his current tally for the season, which stands at 25.

While the current League One top goalscorer will undoubtedly take most of the plaudits for Peterborough’s victory, Szmodics was probably the player that Accrington found hardest to handle.

The 25-year-old played as the sole attacking midfielder in the Posh’s lineup, sitting just behind Clarke-Harris. Ferguson has played around with different formations in recent games, but opted to play a 4-2-3-1 today, a system that suited Szmodics perfectly.

Peterborough stuck to their formation religiously. They were an organised and cohesive unit, and that allowed the former Bristol City man the freedom to roam around the pitch and created space for him to run at Accrington’s shaky defence.

Standing at 5’6, his small and slender stature allows him to make subtle runs that catch out defenders. He’s a strong dribbler, and can easily take out two or three opponents in a single move. Once in an advanced position, he can pick out one of the wingers with his superb passing range, or go for goal himself.

However, Szmodics was arguably most threatening in the wide areas. His first goal came when he burst into the box down the right flank, firing a low shot past Toby Savin. His assist for Eisa’s goal emanated from his run down the same side, before he threaded a curved pass for the striker to round the goalkeeper and score Peterborough’s sixth of the afternoon.

Of course, as good as the Posh were, Accrington were equally as bad. They were completely out of the game in under ten minutes, offering little in attack while completely crumbling at the back. However, John Coleman’s side have suffered a huge injury crisis, which wasn’t helped by the club’s top scorer, Dion Charles, missing out due to international duty.

In fact, all three of the club’s top scorers missed out on the trip to Cambridgeshire, while four players suffered injuries in the game itself. The poor condition of the pitch at the Weston Homes Stadium won’t have helped, and Accrington face a tough job to get their threadbare squad together ahead of a gruelling Easter weekend.

While they remain just four points off the playoff places, today’s result has all but ended their promotion push. However, Peterborough’s dreams of a top two finish are alive and well and their colossal win will provide a huge confidence boost ahead of their promotion run-in.

Ferguson’s side travel up to Fleetwood on Good Friday before welcoming Sunderland to the Weston Homes Stadium on Easter Monday in a crucial clash that could decide who earns a place in the Championship next season.

The Black Cats’ strong form, coupled with their game in hand on Peterborough, possibly gives them the upper hand in the promotion race. But results like today prove that the Posh have what it takes to bounce back from their recent blip and finish the season as strong as possible.

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