The Pitmen crash to another heavy defeat this evening as the ten-man visitors are handed a four-goal beating by title challengers Peterborough Sports at a chilly Lincoln Road

​

Saturday had seen Keenen Meakin-Richards' side end their recent losing run with a battling 1-1 draw at fellow mid-table dwellers Nuneaton Borough. The Hednesford manager - now without a win in the league since 23rd October - made two changes to his side for tonight's trip to Cambridgeshire as Chay Tilt replaced Shaquille Master on the wing and Todd Parker came back into the side in place of Reece Flanagan

​

Sports had suffered a shock defeat to Alvechurch at Lincoln Road at the weekend to dent their ambitions as they continued to fight cat and dog with Coalville Town at the top of the table. Manager Jimmy Dean made three changes to his side for tonight's game as Luke Warner-Eley replaced Johnny Herd at full-back, Maniche Sani came in up front for Dan Jarvis and the tricky Jordan Nicholson replaced De-Carrey Sheriff

​

It was another freezing ninety minutes for the players to deal with after the weekend's baltic conditions at Liberty Way; Sports made a good start to the game and pushed their visitors back into their own third for the opening spell of the game. An early chance dropped in the Hednesford six-yard box in the second minute of the game following an inswinging corner kick from Dan Lawlor, only for the Pitmen to clear their lines through Carter Lycett before the experienced Michael Gash could pounce

​

Sports were hit with an early injury worry and subsequent substitution in the sixth minute as Isiah Bazeley required a lengthy spell of treatment after going down early on, leading to him being replaced soon after by Jarvis

​

The hosts had the ball in the net two minutes later as Lawlor's free-kick from just inside the Hednesford half was floated to the far post where Ryan Fryatt's header back across goal was turned home from close-range by Sani. However, the offside flag had been raised against the striker in an earlier phase of the play and the goal was disallowed

​

The Pitmen's first sight at goal came through makeshift midfielder Lewis Ison in the eleventh minute as he neatly turned past Josh McCammon with some nifty footwork but fired his shot at goal from the corner of the penalty area well wide of Lewis Moat's right-hand post

​

Nicholson - impressive in the F.A. Trophy tie between the two sides last month - picked up the loose ball from McCammon's throw-in a minute later as the Pitmen struggled to clear their lines, but struck his rising shot over the crossbar from twenty yards out

​

Former Sheffield United man Nicholson was involved again for the Turbines three minutes later as he streaked past Wes Atkinson out on the left after exchanging passes with McCammon but drove his long-range effort wide of the post

​

The hosts were forced into their second substitution of the game in the first sixteen minutes as Dion Sembie-Ferris was taken off after picking up a knock and was replaced by Sheriff

​

The Pitmen were really struggling to get themselves into the game, giving the ball away cheaply in midfield and isolating Rily O'Sullivan, who had an evening to forget as he was well-shackled by the Sports defence with little to no supply line

​

Skipper Jones got on the end of a fine freekick from Lawlor midway through the first half, leaping highest to beat Kyle Rowley to the ball but glancing his effort well wide of Oliver Basey's far post from ten yards out

​

Indeed, the game had hit something of a dull patch as both sides seemed content to keep the ball in their own half and not press the opposition into an error. It was the home side that was to have the next good chance of the game on twenty-eight minutes as a quick counter from Sports saw the ball worked to Nicholson on the left. He turned inside of Rowley's challenge but dragged his shot well wide of goal from just outside the penalty area

​

On thirty-three minutes, Moat's long kick out saw Nicholson out-fox Atkinson to get to the bouncing ball before being clumsily brought down by Rowley, who received a yellow card for the foul. Lawlor's subsequent free-kick was aimed at the head of the incoming Ryan Fryatt, who was denied a clear header into the empty net by a timely punch away from Basey at his far post

​

The busy Carter Lycett had a brief glimpse of goal on thirty-eight minutes as Ison's long-throw from the right flank made it through to the youngster at the far post, only for the back-tracking Jarvis to deny him a clear sight of the posts with a timely block

​

This was to be the first of three corner kicks in a row for the Pitmen, with the final one from Courtney Richards played short to Lycett, whose lay-off to Ison saw the number eight fire just wide on the half volley

​

More pressure on the Hednesford goal saw the Pitmen struggle to clear a Lawlor free-kick on forty-two minutes, with Nicholson recycling the ball well out on the right and crossing for Sani, whose looping header towards goal was saved by Basey under pressure from Fryatt

​

The first half had been a fairly tame affair until now, but an explosive period of action blew the game wide open just before the break; with injury-time looming, the Pitmen failed to deal with a long goal kick from Moat, allowing Gash to seize upon the ball on the edge of the penalty area. His neat pass with the outside of his boot played McCammon in on goal, behind the static Hednesford defence, and finished well with a shot across Basey and into the far corner of the net

​

The Pitmen were not to be denied, however, and struck back straight from the restart; O'Sullivan was fouled by Lawlor on the right flank, allowing Lycett to send over a swerving free-kick that Ison met with his head and looped an effort beyond the reach of Moat and into the net from six yards out

​

This was not to be the end of the late first-half drama, however, as the Pitmen were reduced to ten men with the final action of the half. Rowley lost possession of a Warner-Eley pass and allowed McCammon to seize upon the loose ball, clattering the player in the process. The referee had no option but to send the defender off with a straight red card

​

Despite getting themselves back into contention so quickly, the Pitmen were facing a long, hard second half with their reduced numbers against a talented and dangerous Peterborough side. Ison dropped back into the defensive line at the start of the second period to compensate for the loss of Rowley as the Pitmen looked to hang on to their point

​

Peterborough were straight on the front foot at the start of the second half and Nicholson was given a chance to shoot following a flick-on from Gash in the fiftieth minute, forcing a save out of Basey as the Birmingham City loanee pushed Nicholson's shot away for a Sports corner kick

​

More patient play from the hosts four minutes later saw McCammon, Jones and Gash all involved to set up Fryatt, only for the defender to stab his shot at goal from twelve yards out and straight into the arms of Basey

​

On fifty-eight minutes, Warner-Eley worked the ball out to Sani on the wing, who jinked his way past Atkinson and crossed with the outside of his boot towards Gash, who was a matter of inches away from heading home as the ball just evaded him inside the six-yard box

​

The hosts finally got their noes in front again from the resultant Lawlor corner, as the giant Gash rose highest to head the ball back across goal and into the path of Sani, who had the simple task of turning the ball home from close-range

​

From here on in it was one-way traffic as Peterborough dominated proceedings and you feared how many it might be for the hosts against their more experienced hosts. Basey was called upon to make another timely stop on sixty-two minutes as Ben Bailey lost the ball to substitute Matty Miles, who had just come on for Nicholson. He worked the ball to Lawlor, whose deep cross was headed goalwards by Jarvis, only to be denied by a flying save from Basey

​

The hosts extended their lead with a fine piece of flowing football on seventy-one minutes as McCammon picked up a knock-down from Gash in the centre circle and drove past a non-existent Richards challenge to play Jarvis in on goal. The substitute's shot took a touch off Atkinson and beyond the reach of Basey to nestle in the bottom corner of the net

​

The Pitmen responded by making their first substitution of the evening a minute later as the ineffective Tilt was replaced by top scorer Andre Landell up front

​

On seventy-five minutes, Richards up-ended McCammon in midfield, allowing Sports to take a quick free-kick through Warner-Eley. The hosts patiently kept the ball down the left flank before McCammon was given the ball; his lofted cross into the Hednesford penalty area found Gash, who turned the ball past Basey from three yards out to make it 4-1 to the hosts. A good move, absolutely terrible defending once more from the visitors

​

Despite having the three-goal cushion, the hosts continued to turn the screw on their hapless opponents as Jarvis and Sheriff linked up on eighty minutes down the right, culminating in a low shot from Jarvis on the edge of the penalty area that was saved by Basey

​

On eighty-three minutes, the Pitmen made another change to their personnel as Flanagan came on in the centre of midfield in place of the tiring Todd Parker

​

With six minutes remaining, Landell picked the ball up midway inside the Peterborough half and made a run into the opponents' third of the pitch, but lifted his shot high and wide of goal with a wild effort

​

With a minute remaining, more trickery from Sherrif saw him dance past Atkinson once more and pull the ball back into the path of Gash, only for a timely challenge from Bailey to deny the experienced forward another goal as he turned the ball behind for a late corner to the hosts

​

It had been a difficult and sobering evening for the Pitmen and their supporters, having been a solid second-best to the hosts for the whole ninety minutes, regardless of the red card for Rowley. The winless run now stretches to six games for the Pitmen, who will drop into the lower half of the table on Saturday if results go against them when they return to the PRG Stadium @ Keys Park to face surprise package Leiston

​

Peterborough Sports: Moat, Bazeley (Jarvis 6), Warner-Eley, Fryatt, Jones ©, Lawlor, Sembie-Ferris (Sheriff 16), McCammon, Gash, Sani, Nicholson (Miles 58)      Subs Unused: McGowan, Herd

​

Hednesford Town: Basey, Atkinson, Fini, Rowley ▆ ▆ (45), Bailey ©, Richards, Tilt (Landell 74), Ison, O'Sullivan, Parker (Flanagan 83), Lycett       Subs Unused: Master, Cater, Clarkson

​