Oxford United 0 Peterborough United 3

On Saturday Oxford were comprehensively beaten by second division Peterborough at the Kas. The Us got off to a bad start in their penultimate pre-season game, going a goal down in the third minute when Damien Batt's brother Shaun outpaced Rhys Day and crossed for the unmarked Tommy Rowe to tap in. This was only one of a number of occasions in the first few minutes that Peterborough ripped United apart with their pace and movement, and for the first 20 minutes Oxford hardly got out of their own half.

Mark Creighton had Oxford's first real chance when his header came back off the post and Joe Lewis had to be alert to save a Kevin Sandwith free kick. However, with United playing just James Constable up front, the only time they looked at all threatening was from set pieces. It was after half-time, when Matt Green and Jack Midson joined Beano, that Oxford started to look like a force in the opposition's half.

Midson set up Creighton, whose lunge knocked the ball over the bar from close range, and ten minutes after the break Green scored from a Day header, but was adjudged offside. However, Batt and Aaron McLean were always causing problems with their pace and it was Batt who doubled Posh's lead in the 64th minute with a clinical finish. Oxford weren't dead and buried just yet, and were unlucky when a brilliant piece of skill from Midson saw his curling shot hit the post and bounce clear.

Lewis was forced into a save from an Adam Murray drive, and Creighton almost got on the end of a Dannie Bulman effort, but only succeeded in colliding with Lewis, who had to hobble off. With ten minutes left a shot from Batt beat Billy Turley but smacked the inside of the post and bounced into Turley's arms. With seven minutes to go Turley made an excellent save with his feet from Lee Frecklington, but the rebound fell kindly for McLean to shoot home.

United looked much stronger in the second half, when they changed their formation and showed more attacking intent. In the first half the back four kept too high a line and were too narrow, allowing the Peterborough wide men too much room. With just one more pre-season game remaining, against Aston Villa, Chris Wilder is going to have to use his remaining time in training to iron out these problems before the season starts in earnest on Saturday against York. [@opponent]peterborough united[/@opponent][@connection]peterborough united[/@connection]