Shez working his magic

Liam Kelly celebrates after tucking home the winner from the spot.

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Peterborough 1, Athletic 2

THE KNOTS in the rope have merely been loosened.

Athletic are still in trouble, entwined inside the relegation zone, still with fewer goals than any rival in the division. And six points in four days only goes some way towards masking the fact that home form – still the vital factor - has been wretched for some time. Hence the current position of 22nd in the league.

In this desperate escape act, though, the stage was set some weeks ago for a returning hero to take the spotlight. In doubling the number of season wins in the space of 29 days, John Sheridan has the Athletic-worshipping public in the palm of his hand.

Nobody in their right mind would have bet against Athletic wriggling free of the relegation doom generally forecast only weeks ago. John Sheridan, the club’s third manager of the season, is the magic man of the moment.

Decent signings? Check. On-loan Burton man Matt Palmer was influential again, winning the 73rd-minute penalty that Liam Kelly struck home to claim a three-point haul.

Anthony Gerrard was loud and uncompromising at the back – the goal conceded was squarely down to a

goalkeeping error from Joel Coleman – and up front, Curtis Main grafted alongside the highly promising Aaron Amadi-Holloway, who struck a post with a late header, injuring himself on landing.

Tactical nous? Check. Sheridan’s recent switch of Cameron Dummigan to a midfield role paid off with his sweetly struck goal after 105 seconds here at London Road and in the second half, the arrival of Jonathan Forte on the left of midfield added a fresh poser for Posh that put them on the back foot.

There is simply no arguing with anything Sheridan is doing right now. His effect in rejuvenating a side on its knees has been invigorating.

The suspicion is that Athletic are not about to implode; it all feels too structured to be a flash in the pan. Whisper it quietly, but it could be that survival in League One is now probable rather than merely possible.

Sheridan made one change to the side that saw off Gillingham three days earlier. Forte dropped to the substitutes’ bench and Carl Winchester came back into the starting line-up.

Athletic’s manager named only six substitutes.

With players missing for Peterborough, a strong start was always going to be the message sent out by Sheridan. Which is exactly what he got.

Amadi-Holloway picked up possession and though his intended pass was misdirected, it skidded into Dummigan’s path and his finish was superb - less than two minutes in.

Lee Angol blazed wastefully wide nine minutes later but while Peterborough enjoyed sporadic joy attacking down James Wilson’s flank, Athletic proved adept at keeping the ball in the attacking third.

Peterborough gradually got into gear and though their equaliser was a result of a clear error, the momentum was with them at the time. Maddison's cross was over-hit but proved too much for Coleman to deal with, Coulibaly applying a simple finish with his head from close in.

Erhun Oztumer flashed a left-footed shot wide of the far post after cutting in from the right and Sheridan was grateful for the half-time whistle to allow him to regroup.

To their credit, Athletic were clearly the better of the sides after the interval. Kelly shot over, Amadi-Holloway flicked a header wide and Dummigan forced some sharp work from Alnwick with a cross that followed a burst into the box.

Winchester went close to netting Athletic’s second with a header, and the same man was involved in the incident that led to the match winner. Winchester’s shot from 25 yards was too hot to catch cleanly and as Alnwick chased down the rebound, referee Keith Hill judged he caught Palmer as the pair collided. Kelly did the rest.

Athletic’s pressure had told and it was nearly 3-1 when Holloway rose and headed against the base of a post on 76 minutes from Palmer's corner.