Peterborough maintain strong home form with routine win over Burton

Promotion-chasing Peterborough maintained their formidable home form with an emphatic 4-0 win over Dino Maamria’s patched-up Burton in Sky Bet League One.

First-half goals from Joel Randall and Ephron Mason-Clark put the hosts in cruise control, before Cole Stockton’s own goal and a Kwame Poku close range finish completed the rout after the break.

The visitors will be left wondering if this match may have had a different outcome if Stockton’s first-half stoppage time volley had not been headed off the line by Posh defender Josh Knight.

Yet, in truth, this was a richly-deserved victory for Darren Ferguson’s men and the scoreline did not flatter the Scot’s side at all.

Randall opened the scoring in the sixth minute when he coolly side-footed in Peter Kioso’s cross at the far post.

The visitors then survived a decent penalty shout on 19 minutes when Poku was felled by Mark Helm’s clumsy challenge on the byline.

Mason-Clark fired in Posh’s second goal in the 44th minute after Ciaran Gilligan’s slip had allowed Archie Collins to pick him out inside the Burton penalty box.

Albion striker Stockton then scored at the wrong end, turning Poku’s driven cross past his own goalkeeper Max Crocombe just past the hour to make it 3-0.

Ghanaian midfielder Poku finally got the goal his energetic performance deserved when he bundled in Harrison Burrows’ cross from the left in the 66th minute.

The result means Ferguson’s fifth-placed team have dropped just two points from their last six games at London Road.

Out-of sorts Burton, who handed 17-year-old centre-half Will Tamen his league debut, have slipped to 17th in League One.