Cherries are Beck as Posh Loos the plot

Although Cherries' hosts were aggrieved to Loos to Carl Fletcher's late winner, this often messy affair was certainly spiced up by some diatribe from Posh.

So revenge, despite being long overdue, was sweet for Sean O'Driscoll's side who were finally able to put almost three years of hurt and heartache behind them.

During the pre-match build-up, Posh wind-up merchant Tom Williams had opened some old wounds when he again decided to goad Cherries over their crushing 6-0 defeat at London Road in September 2001.

On that fateful autumn night for Cherries, Williams, who has since returned to Posh on loan from Birmingham, revelled in his role as the villain of the piece when he sarcastically pointed out the score to some of O'Driscoll's beleaguered troops.

Williams reignited the blue touch paper when he predicted Posh would "beat up" Cherries because they "tend to over-pass". And in previewing the clash for the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, he also said he was "confident" Posh would be "too strong" for the visitors.

But the 23-year-old's ill-advised comments backfired in spectacular fashion as Fletcher's headed winner nine minutes from time left struggling Posh staring down the barrel of a loaded relegation firearm.

Cherries spokesman Marcus Browning told the Daily Echo: "We pinned the newspaper clipping up in the dressing room. Everyone had a look and it spurred the lads on.

"It was a bit silly of them to go around saying things like that because it only made us more determined to win.

"It was good to see us having the last laugh. I've seen things like that many times before and, in my opinion, it's best not to say anything and to just get on quietly with your own game."

The two sides took to the pitch, accompanied by the rather eccentric Mr Posh and mascot Vincent Simms - whose less-than-flattering photo in the matchday programme should not be viewed by those of a nervous disposition - in search of points for very different reasons.

Teetering just above the relegation precipice, Posh were seeking a fifth consecutive home victory which would have gone a long way to extinguishing any lingering fears of a return to the basement division they escaped in 2000.

Cherries, meanwhile, with the possible exception of boss O'Driscoll, who says he never looks at league tables and, as Radio Solent commentators Kris Temple and Sohail Sahi have discovered in recent weeks, does not answer questions about the play-offs, were still harbouring hopes of a miracle.

"I haven't answered a question about the play-offs all season so I'm not going to start now," said O'Driscoll, when quizzed by Radio Solent after Fletcher's goal had left Cherries six points adrift of sixth place with two games remaining, albeit it with an inferior goal difference.

Although O'Driscoll felt Cherries had "controlled" the first half, the visitors had got off to the worst possible start when they lost marksman Warren Feeney to a knee injury after just one minute and 45 seconds.

Feeney's untimely demise resulted in an early entrance for Jason Tindall, while James Hayter was thrust alongside Derek Holmes in attack. And Tindall soon forced Mark Tyler into a legitimate save with his hands after Fletcher's initial shot had been handled inside the box by Andy Legg.

Sandwiched between a vital saving tackle by Fletcher on Clive Platt and a crucial block by Karl Broadhurst from the same player, Neil Moss had to stand tall to beat away a fierce effort from Matthew Gill.

And as the two sides traded chances midway through the first half, Moss also saved acrobatically from David Farrell before Hayter sent a rasping low drive scurrying past the base of Tyler's right-hand post.

Posh boss Barry Fry described an exchange of passes between Adam Newton and Steve Thomson, which saw the latter rattle the underside of the crossbar with a shot in the 65th minute, as the "move of the match".

Fry added: "On chances, you've got to say we should've won the game. But if you don't score your chances when you create them, it puts you under pressure. We had a golden opportunity to pick up three points, but we didn't take our chances."

After Moss had got down to smother at the feet of Richard Logan and Steve Purches had seen a goalbound effort deflected for a corner, Cherries finally made the breakthrough from the resultant set-piece.

Hoisted with unerring accuracy on to the bonce of Fletcher by the right boot of the indefatigable Hayter, the Cherries skipper rose superbly to plant a firm header into the bottom corner and past the despairing dive of Tyler.

The goal had Fry bemoaning Gill, Fletcher's intended marker: "Gilly didn't do his job at a dead-ball situation. He was marking somebody who was nowhere near him. He gave him a free header and we lost 1-0.

"I am bitterly disappointed. Once we went behind, you could see how jittery we were and how nervous the crowd got.

"The goal lifted them unbelievably. They kept the ball well and we didn't have enough about us to win it back."

O'Driscoll said: "It was a well-worked corner and Carl finished it really well. Although we are a small side, I thought we were a danger from every set-play.

"We knew they would come at us in the second half, but I thought we kept our composure and were always a threat.

"Losing Warren Feeney after three minutes was a blow, but I thought they were very professional in an end-of-season game where maybe there wasn't a lot on it for us. I thought their attitude was first-class and we tried to do the right things."

Now, about those play-offs again, Sean?

"We will prepare for the next game the same as we have prepared for every other game. The last two home games have been extremely difficult. We disappointed the crowd and disappointed ourselves, although our general performances have not been too bad.

"We don't want the season to peter out and if we can get a result from our last two games it would be a job well done."