John Mousinho hailed a player he dropped for helping Portsmouth take another big step towards the Championship with a 1-0 win at Peterborough.

The Pompey chief left out two-goal midweek hero Kusini Yengi for a crunch clash at promotion rivals Peterborough.

But the Australian ace responded by climbing off the bench to grab the only goal that kept Portsmouth five points clear at the summit.

Yengi, sent on after Christian Saydee limped off in the first half, raced on to a pass from fellow substitute Gavin Whyte in the 77th minute to fire past Posh keeper Jed Steer.

Peterborough still look bound for the play-offs despite their five-match winning streak coming to an end.

Top-scorer Ephron Mason-Clark blasted against the bar midway through the first half as they drew a blank for just the third time all season in League One.

“I really feel for him,” said Mousinho about match-winner Yengi. “It wasn’t an easy decision to leave him out.

“He scored twice on Tuesday night and his overall performance was really good.

“He has been excellent whenever he has played and his goalscoring record is superb.

“It could have been a difficult one to take, but he was really professional about it when told yesterday. He trained really well in the afternoon, stayed positive around the place and thoroughly deserved his goal.

“At this stage of the season it is all about winning games, but it was a really good performance from us as well.

“The fans made it a special day. That was probably the best away atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.

“To be able to win the game and put in that performance was superb. It was pure relief at the final whistle.

“We’ve just got to keep our heads down and keep winning as many games as possible.”

Posh boss Darren Ferguson said: “I’m really disappointed with the result, but really proud of the performance.

“We were by far the better team on the day and they’re really lucky to come away with a win.

“If anyone from Portsmouth says otherwise, they are kidding themselves.

“We controlled large parts of the game. Some of the play was fantastic.

“But football can be a cruel game and we just couldn’t get that first goal.

“You always need that bit of luck in big games, but we didn’t have it when Ephron hit the underside of the bar.

“I’m gutted for the players as they didn’t deserve to lose the game. You’d rather win and have a bad performance like on Wednesday.

“But if we play like that in the last eight games, we’ll be fine. I’ve still got a lot of confidence that we’re in a good place.

“The break has come at a good time to freshen up for a last push.”

Portsmouth took another big step towards the League One title with a vital 1-0 victory at promotion rivals Peterborough.

Australian striker Kusini Yengi climbed off the bench to grab the only goal in the 77th minute to send an army of 4,000 Pompey fans wild.

Yengi slammed his seventh of the season past Posh keeper Jed Steer to complete a ruthless breakaway after being picked out by fellow substitute Gavin Whyte’s pass.

And that was enough to extend the table-toppers’ unbeaten run to 12 games while bringing Posh’s five-match winning streak to an end.

Captain Harrison Burrows was inches away from giving Posh a first-half lead when steering a low shot past the far post.

Top-scorer Ephron Mason-Clark came even closer to breaking the deadlock when blasting against the bar.

That was soon followed by the best Pompey opportunity of the opening period as Colby Bishop headed a Marlon Pack free-kick straight at Steer.

Malik Mothersille saw a volley fly across the face of goal as Posh started the second half well, but it was Pompey who eventually made the breakthrough to move nine points clear of third place and closer to a Championship return.

Darren Ferguson knows Peterborough are in with a chance of automatic promotion from League One after a 3-1 victory over Stevenage.

Posh, with a game in hand, closed to within four points of the top two after reeling off a fifth successive win.

The visitors should have had a penalty for a Josh Knight handball just after the half-hour before Posh snatched a 44th-minute lead from the spot through Harrison Burrows.

Jadel Katongo doubled the lead with a stunning first English Football League goal of his career in the 64th minute before Kwame Poku smashed in a 77th-minute clincher as Posh climbed into fourth ahead of a super Saturday when they host table-topping Portsmouth, while second-placed Derby do battle with Bolton in third.

Nick Freeman hit a consolation for Stevenage, who remain in the final play-off spot.

Ferguson said: “We were nowhere near our normal quality, but I can’t expect us to be perfect all the time.

“What I do need is for us to find a way of winning games and we did that by being ruthless.

“We made it hard for ourselves but we still managed to overcome an opponent who were just as tough as we knew they would be. Stevenage are not sixth in the league for no reason at this stage of the season.

“We told the lads a while ago to stay in touch and get to March. I always felt this month would be pivotal and that we really had to go for it, and there’s no doubt we’ve got a chance.

“We’ll roll the players out again on Saturday against Portsmouth. It’s the sort of game you want to be involved in.

“They’ve been the best team so far, they’re bringing 4,000 with them and we need our fans more than we’ve needed them all season.”

Stevenage are one point above seventh-placed Blackpool as the play-off race hots up.

Boss Steve Evans insisted: “The best team lost tonight. We just were not as clinical as Peterborough were.

“The balance of the game changed when we didn’t get a penalty and Peterborough did get one.

“I’m not disputing theirs is a penalty, but there is a clear and obvious handball in their box in the 31st minute and the referee gives a goal kick.

“We’re somehow going to have to go above these decisions to get into the play-offs. Managers get the sack, but referees just get told to be better.

“It’s always a problem when you’re not scoring goals. We have to take our chances more but we’re going through a little spell where our strikers are not finding the net.

“Peterborough are a wonderful team to watch when they get into flow and I wish them every success. I really hope they go on to win promotion and the Bristol Street Motors Trophy as well.”

Peterborough continued their charge back into League One automatic-promotion contention by beating play-off chasing Stevenage 3-1.

Harrison Burrows’ spot-kick, a stunning first league goal for 19-year-old Jadel Katongo and Kwame Poku’s clincher earned a fifth straight league success.

Stevenage would arguably have been disappointed to still be level at the break after being the dominant first-half side, so Luther James-Wildin’s reckless challenge on Ephron Mason-Clark to gift the hosts a 44th-minute penalty – coolly converted by Burrows – will have come as a hammer blow to former Posh boss Steve Evans.

Evans’ Stevenage also had the first big chance of the second period when Posh keeper Jed Steer pulled off a full-stretch save to keep out top-scorer Jamie Reid’s header.

But it was Posh who found the net again as Manchester City loanee Katongo embarked on a marauding run from inside his own half, exchanged passes with substitute Malik Mothersille and steered a low shot past Taye Ashby-Hammond in the 64th minute.

Mothersille was again the architect when Poku sealed the points with a ferocious 77th-minute finish before Nick Freeman hit a consolation in the 85th minute for Stevenage as they slipped to a first defeat in five games.

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson praised his bench after two late goals finally saw off Burton in a 3-1 win for Posh at the Pirelli Stadium.

The game had been heading towards a draw after Ricky-Jade Jones’ opener early in the second half had been cancelled by Albion’s Crystal Palace loanee Ademola Ola-Adebomi’s first senior goal from a long throw – but a late two-goal salvo from defender Josh Knight and substitute Jonson Clarke-Harris ultimately sealed victory for Posh.

“The subs have won the game for us, simple as that,” Ferguson said.

“What has been proven today is that we are going to need everyone. Jonno has come on, scored one and set one up and Malik [Mothersille] has set one up.

“Ricky’s is a real striker’s goal and he needs more of those, but that is 12 for the season for him now and once he started making the runs we wanted him to we started stretching them a bit more and got on top. Then it is about getting the next goal but unfortunately, they got that.”

Posh are now on a five-game winning run, which has seen them solidify a play-off spot and reach Wembley in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

And Ferguson said: “At this stage of the season it is just about getting wins and another three goals is just fantastic. I am delighted with that but I always felt, in my own head, that March was going to be a pivotal month for us and we have started it really well.”

Albion stay five points clear of relegation despite the loss, but the Brewers are now the closest team to the bottom four with manager Martin Paterson ruing missed chances that cost his side dear.

“In terms of effort I can’t ask any more of them,” Paterson said post-match. “Ultimately you can look at it and they had 14 shots to our 12 so in the cold light of day the story is that they stuck the ball in the net and we didn’t.”

Ola-Adebomi’s goal gave Albion parity after Deji Oshilaja had earlier seen a header hit the post but Albion squandered opportunities.

“We had moments and chances but we didn’t punish them. Ultimately, we didn’t score the goals that were required,” the Burton boss added.

“I think everybody had us down for a defeat today but because of the performance, in parts, we should have got something from the game. It’s a sickener but I have to take it on the chin.”

Albion now face two tough games on the road, starting with a trip to leaders Portsmouth.

Paterson said: “We gave up goals today that were uncharacteristic for us and now we have to go away from home for two games and pick up points. And that is a necessity.”

Peterborough swept to a fourth straight win as late goals from Josh Knight and substitute Jonson Clarke-Harris sealed a 3-1 win at Burton.

Albion looked to be on for a hard-earned point when Crystal Palace loanee Ademola Ola-Adebomi’s first senior goal cancelled out Ricky-Jade Jones’ opener.

A tight first half saw chances at a premium. Max Crocombe in the Burton goal had a make a sharp stop with his feet to deny Jones whilst a low save to deny Joel Randall was more comfortable for the Burton stopper.

Tolaji Bola blocked a close-range effort from Randall as Posh began to threaten but it was Albion who spurned the best chance of the half when Bobby Kamwa fired over from close range after good work from Joe Hugill on the right.

Posh went through the gears early in the second half and carved out the breakthrough when Jones glanced a header over Crocombe from Harrison Burrows’ cross.

Deji Oshilaja saw a header come back off the post before Albion equalised with 20 minutes to go, Ola-Adebomi getting the final touch to guide Tom Hamer’s long throw past Jed Steer.

Albion looked to have secured a vital point until Knight scored with two minutes to go, Clarke-Harris putting the gloss on victory with a stoppage-time finish from close range.

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson feels his side are hitting top form again as the race for promotion in Sky Bet League One intensifies after they hammered rivals Northampton 5-1 in the Nene derby.

This was the Posh’s third league win in a row which moved them to within five points of second-placed Bolton, with their current run coming after four straight defeats threatened to derail their push.

Ferguson said: “We had a blip and they’re a young group – if we had gone through the season without a blip, I would have been surprised.

“When you go through bad times in the season, you have to make sure you’re strong enough to go back and improve when you’ve made mistakes, failures and losses because they’re the ones that define the season.

“We had to make sure we got over that and there’s no question the Blackpool game (in the semi-finals of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy) to get to Wembley has really been a huge shift in momentum.

“But then to win three league games, two of them derbies, is a credit to my players.

“It was all-round a very good performance.

“I thought each member of the team and the subs, it was all-round a very confident performance, and it was a very good result.”

Northampton led after nine minutes when Marc Leonard’s cross was headed in by Jon Guthrie, but Peterborough never looked back after Ephron Mason-Clarks’ 25th-minute equaliser from Jaden Katongo’s low ball across.

Kwame Poku’s whipped finish completed the turnaround three minutes later before Joel Randall poked in a third for the Posh after Poku’s mishit ran off Jack Sowerby.

Hector Kyprianou’s header just before the hour effectively made the game safe, with Josh Knight completing the rout five minutes later after Randall’s corner wasn’t cleared.

Northampton boss Jon Brady said: “We’ve got to hold our hands up and that’s a tough night that’s tough to take against your local rivals, but hats off to them, I thought they were excellent.

“I thought the goals we gave away were very soft tonight.

“We started off, we got the goal then conceded two pretty quick goals and it wasn’t good enough thereafter.

“I’m not going to paper over any cracks and we’ve got to hold our hands up, we’ve got to defend better and be more solid in those moments – defensively we weren’t good enough.

“We’ve got to defend those goals so much better and we’ve got to make sure we get it right for Saturday (at Cambridge) and bounce back.

“We were very good earlier on in the season when we beat them at home 1-0, and today we had a bad night and we’ve got to make sure we get it right on Saturday.”

Peterborough moved within five points of the Sky Bet League One automatic promotion places following a 5-1 demolition of Northampton Town in the Nene derby.

The Cobblers actually struck first at the Weston Homes Stadium, but they collapsed in the face of an onslaught from a rampant Posh side who recorded their third win in a row.

Northampton went ahead in the ninth minute when Marc Leonard’s inviting cross following a short corner was nodded in by captain Jon Guthrie at the back post.

But Peterborough were level in the 25th minute when Jadel Katongo played in a terrific low ball that was finished off by Ephron Mason-Clark.

Kwame Poku then completed a rapid turnaround three minutes later when he whipped a shot into the bottom corner and it was 3-1 just before half-time when his mishit came off Jack Sowerby for Joel Randall to finish.

The Posh were relentless in the second half, with Hector Kyprianou heading in just before the hour and Josh Knight completing the rout after Randall’s corner wasn’t cleared.

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson insisted it is all about results after Posh kept themselves in the League One promotion battle with a 2-1 win over Exeter.

Kwame Poku struck the winner midway through the second half as Ferguson’s tactical tweak worked to perfection.

The attacking talent bagged his 10th goal of the campaign after being shifted into a central position from his usual wide berth.

Posh had hit the front in just the fourth minute through leading scorer Ephron Mason-Clark, but Exeter levelled nine minutes before the break with a long-awaited Tom Carroll strike.

The midfielder ended a near seven-year drought with a 20-yard half-volley which took a huge deflection and looped agonisingly over keeper Jed Steer.

But Poku ensured Posh pocketed the points and that’s all Ferguson cared about.

He said: “The most important thing today – as it will be going forward – is not the performance. It’s all about getting results.

“Credit to my players because I said to them at half-time that they had to find a way of winning the game of football and they did it.

“Kwame going central made a big difference. They couldn’t live with him in there.

“We knew there was space to exploit. He gets away from opponents so quickly and fortunately he got us a winner.

“The early goal gave us a great start, but sometimes that can be a hindrance.

“The whole atmosphere went a bit flat after that. I don’t know whether everyone just thought we were going to go and beat them by three or four, but they are a tricky team to play against.

“Getting back-to-back wins was really key. We know this is a pivotal week for us.”

Exeter chief Gary Caldwell admitted: “The result is a big disappointment, but I have massive pride in our performance and the way we went about it.

“We gave a bad first goal away the first time Peterborough had really got into our half, but the players got back into the game.

“I felt we were the better team in the first half. Our press was outstanding and we were really aggressive without the ball.

“The second half was a case of two teams going out to win the game, but we had a 10-minute spell where we gave the ball cheaply after winning it.

“We were just kicking the ball away and inviting more pressure rather than trying to pass out of trouble and Peterborough scored in that period.

“Peterborough are the best team in the league for me in terms of quality and the way they play, but for large parts we matched that and kept going right to the very end.”

Kwame Poku kept Peterborough in the promotion picture with a second-half winner in a 2-1 triumph against Exeter.

Poku struck the decisive blow with a fine 68th-minute finish from just inside the box for his 10th goal of the campaign.

The winner saw boss Darren Ferguson’s tactical tweaks pay dividends after Poku had been shifted into a central position earlier in the second half.

Posh had previously hit the front in just the fourth minute when Ephron Mason-Clark pounced for his 17th goal of the season after Malik Mothersille’s strike was parried by Viljami Sinisalo.

But League One’s lowest scorers City clawed their way level nine minutes before the break when Tom Carroll struck for the first time in almost seven years.

The midfield man – whose last goal came for Swansea in an April 2017 Premier League clash against Stoke – was a fortunate scorer with a 20-yard half-volley which took a huge deflection off Jadel Katongo and looped agonisingly over keeper Jed Steer.

Vincent Harper then squandered an excellent chance to put Exeter ahead early in the second period before Posh took control and Poku earned the points – but not before ex-Posh man Mo Eisa and debutant Millenic Alli went close for City in nine minutes of stoppage time..

Manager Darren Ferguson stated Peterborough’s 1-0 win over Cambridge in the Cambridgeshire derby was more important than reaching Wembley on Tuesday night.

The Posh claimed their first league success at the Abbey Stadium since 1988, having beaten Blackpool four days previously to reach the EFL Trophy final.

Ephron Mason-Clark netted the winner 10 minutes into the second half when his cross from the left missed everybody and went straight in.

Peterborough got their promotion push back on track following four straight League One losses while the result compounds a difficult week for Cambridge after head coach Neil Harris left the club on Wednesday to take charge of Millwall.

Ferguson said: “I’m delighted with the win; it was the most important game of the week.

“We’ve managed to come away, get the clean sheet, get the win which we thoroughly deserved.

“It’s the first time Peterborough have won here for 30 years, which tells you how hard it is. I was really pleased for the fans we got that win.

“We were a bit fortunate with the goal. It’s a good ball into the box but obviously it’s meant for someone. We just can’t kill a team off. We get so many opportunities.

“I felt today was a really pivotal day for us. There was no way we could drop any more points. When you lose four games on the bounce it’s a terrible month but there’s still time I think to catch up.

“Last season (here) it was a painful defeat. We didn’t turn up. The fans knew that. Today was a must-win for me after last season.”

Barry Corr took interim charge of Cambridge for the second time this season following the departure of Harris.

He said: “I’ve said it to the players after the game about the things we could control. One of those things was our application, how much sweat was on the shirt at the end of the day.

“I thought they were spot on in that respect. We were totally committed to the game.

“It’s frustrating the goal they scored is a cross that snuck in at the back post. The reality is we had to work so hard without the ball that we probably didn’t have the energy when it was turned over.

“I can’t really complain too much because they had good chances in the game but we had a few little chances and for me a nailed on penalty on James Brophy.

“There’s loads of disappointment in the changing room, particularly conceding a goal like we did.

“It’s one of those random things that happens in football, sometimes they go beyond the post. Luck wasn’t with us in that respect.”

Peterborough capped a memorable week by claiming bragging rights with a 1-0 win at managerless arch-rivals Cambridge.

Having reached the EFL Trophy final on Tuesday, Posh grabbed the decisive goal 10 minutes into the second half.

In a seemingly unthreatening position, Ephron Mason-Clark delivered a cross from the left which evaded everyone in the box before finding the far corner of Jack Stevens’ net.

Their pressure had been building before half-time, with Archie Collins clipping the top of the bar from the edge of the box and the unmarked Kwame Poku somehow firing Malik Mothersille’s cross wide.

The hosts – who saw manager Neil Harris leave this week to return to Millwall – threatened themselves, with Jed Steer saving well from Jack Lankester’s effort and from the resulting corner Elias Kachunga headed in before being denied by the offside flag.

Having scored the opener, Mason-Clark nearly turned provider but substitute Hector Kyprianou thumped his effort onto the bar before Joel Randall’s shot was deflected just wide.

Cambridge’s big chance to equalise came on 80 minutes but Danny Andrew fired narrowly wide from 20 yards.

Darren Ferguson challenged his Peterborough side to show more conviction as they need to “ride out the storm” having fallen to another damaging defeat.

Blackpool grabbed all three points thanks to a second-half comeback started by a Shayne Lavery penalty and completed in stoppage time by a deflected Karamoko Dembele strike.

Hector Kyprianou had given Posh the lead after 38 minutes with a near-post header from a Harrison Burrows corner but Posh fell to a fourth consecutive defeat.

“The decision-making in both boxes is not good enough,” said Ferguson.

“It’s a disappointment to lose another game and in the manner we lost it.

“We were in complete control until the goal, totally dominant in the first half but missed too many chances again and their equaliser changed the game.

“We had started the second half really well. We lost conviction and belief after that and started doing things we’d never normally do. We lost all composure for 10 or 15 minutes and didn’t create much at 1-1. They got on top of us.

“We’ve got to ride the storm now, stick together and try and get that belief and conviction back into the squad.

“The penalty incident was certainly right on the edge, it was a bad decision from Jed (Steer). That’s always the key to winning and losing.

“The finishing is not good enough, we’ve had three one-on-ones today, it’s just not good enough and we’re losing poor goals. The second one you can’t do much about but the first is a poor, poor decision.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley hailed his side as deserved winners, even if he was disappointed to concede another set-piece goal.

He said: “It was a terrific game, we were excellent. We got what we deserved.

“There wasn’t a lot in the first half, their best opportunities came from us giving the ball away.

“I’m really disappointed with the goal, we’ve shown a vulnerability at set-pieces recently. We wobbled a bit after that but the response in the second half was outstanding.

“We showed real character to come from behind and create the opportunities we did at a really tough place to come against a really good team.

“Kyle Joseph committing himself to get in there for the penalty epitomises the second-half performance. We were much more on the front foot, getting to the ball first and being much more aggressive.

“Him and Shayne were a real handful in the second half, really relentless with their running and work ethic.

“Shayne was the first to put his hand up when we were practising penalties in training yesterday so I was not surprised when he tucked it away very well.”

Peterborough’s promotion push faltered yet further as Karamoko Dembele’s stoppage-time winner consigned them to a fourth consecutive defeat at home to Blackpool.

Dembele, the younger brother of former Posh hero Siriki, fired in just three minutes from time to give Blackpool a 2-1 win, just their fourth away from home this season.

The hosts had led at the break thanks to Hector Kyprianou’s clever near-post header from Harrison Burrows’ corner that took goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw by surprise.

The hosts were in control until the 56th minute, when keeper Jed Steer conceded a penalty having rushed from his line to attempt a punch but fouled Kyle Joseph in the process.

Shayne Lavery stepped up and smashed his effort into the corner as Steer correctly dived to his right.

The Tangerines were in control from that moment on and claimed the three points in the 91st minute when Dembele saw a powerful effort from just outside the box deflected by Posh defender Romoney Crichlow to wrong-foot Steer.

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson backed goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic to learn from an error-strewn display in his side’s damaging 5-2 defeat at Wycombe.

Bilokapic, 21, was directly at fault for two of Wycombe’s goals, with Kieran Sadlier and David Wheeler both capitalising.

Ferguson mounted a passionate defence of his young goalkeeper and refused to criticise the Australian.

He said: “It was a tough day for the boy, he knows he’s made mistakes but I have to stick by him.

“I’m not coming here to criticise him, he needs my help. A big part of my job, especially with a squad with young players, is to stick by them.

“A lot of the criticism he’s got has been unjust, but that’s happened before at this club. There’s something about young goalkeepers fans don’t like but I have to stick by him.”

Posh fell behind through an own goal from Archie Collins and the hosts doubled their lead on the cusp of half-time through captain Jack Grimmer’s low finish.

Sadlier added a third before David Ajiboye and an own goal from Ryan Tafazolli threatened to turn the game on its head.

But the hosts held firm to score two more through substitutes Sam Vokes and Wheeler late on.

Ferguson added: “Sometimes it’s easy to play at 3-0 down, the pressure was off. But what I will say is that at least we had a bit of a goal for that short period.

“We had the momentum in the game and then we concede one more right after.

“It would knock any team and we kept huffing and puffing, we had one or two other opportunities to make it 4-3.

“You have to give credit to Wycombe, they were ruthless with the way they took their chances.”

Ferguson’s promotion-chasers have now lost three in a row, while his opposite number Matt Bloomfield was delighted after securing back-to-back wins which have taken his side six points clear of the bottom four.

Bloomfield said: “I told the boys before the game today that I have huge belief in them.

“I see what they do, I’ve seen the pain that they’ve been through at times this season.

“I’ve seen the moments that have gone against them, but that hasn’t altered my belief in the group and what we’re trying to achieve here.

“It means a great deal because we’ve had a tough time over the winter. It has been really important as leader of the group that I remain positive because I have massive faith in the group.

“I’ve been convinced there are good times around the corner, but obviously in testing moments it really stretches you.

“To enjoy a day at home in front of our supporters against an incredible team and celebrate five goals is lovely.”

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