Peterborough United miss out on Wembley after losing to Oxford
The U's were victorious in the League 1 play off semi-final, winning 2-1 on aggregate
Peterborough United have missed out on this season's League 1 play-off final after losing to Oxford United in the semis.
After securing a 1-nil lead in the first leg, Oxford United travelled to London Road, hoping to emulate their impressive performance at the Kassam Stadium last weekend. Peterborough United were aiming to avoid play-off semi-final disappointment for a second consecutive season.
After a slight delay to kick-off to clear streamers from the back of the goal net, it was Posh who looked the more threatening side in what was a scrappy affair, with an abundance of corners and free-kicks disrupting the flow of the game.
It was a set-piece which gave Peterborough United the breakthrough, with a superb delivery from skipper Harrison Burrows finished off smartly at the back post by defender Josh Knight, drawing the tie level.
But minutes before the half-time whistle Burrows had a rush of blood to the head and handled the ball in the penalty area, as he tried to block Cameron Brannagan's free-kick. Brannagan himself stepped up, sent Jed Steer the wrong way and restored the U's slender lead with his 10th goal of the season.
The second half provided a few 'nearly' moments but very little in the way of clear-cut chances. As time ticked away, the Posh faithful gathered at London Road fell increasingly silent, as memories of last year's semi-final heartbreak started to resurface.
Darren Ferguson's side tried to increase the pressure on Oxford's back line with a barrage of crosses, but the U's stood strong and continued to carry a threat on the counter-attack.
Deep into the 7 minutes of stoppage time, Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming pulled off a superb diving save from Josh Knight's effort, and despite some last minute drama in front of their goalmouth, it was the U's who were triumphant.
Oxford United will face Bolton Wanderers at Wembley in their second ever play-off final on 18th May, with a chance to join already-promoted Portsmouth and Derby County in the second tier of English football next season.