Lewis Maloney fires Scarborough Athletic to crucial 1-0 win at Peterborough Sports

Sports, unbeaten in seven games, had early claims for a penalty waived away when Kieran Burton tangled with Isaiah Bazeley in the area, then Will Thornton cleared a dangerous cross from Jordan Crawford.

In Boro’s first attack, Lewis Maloney fired a free-kick straight at keeper Peter Crook.

Boro keeper Joe Cracknell stretched to gather an in-swinging cross from Nathan Fox that was dipping under the bar, then on 26 minutes Ryan Fryatt turned to fire a shot that was cleared off the Boro goal-line by Bailey Gooda.

Joe Cracknell pulled off a crucial late save to help Boro hang onto their one-goal lead in the win at Peterborough Sports.

Boro went straight down the other end, and a goal-bound strike from Ciaran McGuckin was blocked by Dan Lawlor.

Ryan Watson blazed a 25-yard shot over, before Boro took the lead shortly before the interval with a trademark goal from dead-ball specialist Lewis Maloney.

He repeated his feat at Kettering on Saturday by curling a free-kick from just outside the area in the centre of goal, past the four-man wall into the bottom left corner, to reach double figures for the season.

Sports applied pressure after the break, Crawford had a shot deflected wide by Ryan Qualter, and Cracknell dealt with shots from both Crawford and Dan Jarvis.

Boro then went forward, Michael Coulson, on his 35th birthday, accepted a pass from McGuckin and fired at keeper Crook, then Jake Charles shot narrowly wide.

Connor Kennedy twice went close for Peterborough, heading inches wide, then being foiled by a great reaction save from Cracknell to his back-post header, and Johnson Gyamfi cut in from the left and fired wide of the far post.

With time running out, Boro looked to retain possession, and trickery from Kieran Glynn began a six-man move that saw them pass the ball between Charles, Maloney, Heslop, Burton and Coulson.

The home side did have a couple of late chances, with Cracknell diving to save a downward header from Kennedy, and Ryan Fryatt headed past the post.

Ashley Jackson came off the bench for the last couple of minutes, to register his 100th competitive Boro appearance.

PETERBOROUGH - Crook, Bazeley, Fox, Fryatt, Jones, Lawlor, Crawford, Kennedy, Gash,Jarvis (Sani 66), McCammon (Gyamfi 71).

BORO - Cracknell, Watson, Burton, Gooda, Thornton, Qualter, Coulson (Jackson 88), Heslop, McGuckin (Charles 61), Glynn, Maloney.

REFEREE - Oliver Mackey.

GOAL - BORO - Lewis Maloney 44 mins.

YELLOW CARDS - PETERBOROUGH - Connor Kennedy, Richard Jones, Nathan Fox; BORO - Simon Heslop, Kieran Burton.

BORO MAN OF MATCH - Lewis Maloney.

ATTENDANCE - 350 (90 away).