Oldham 1 Posh 2

Posh certainly kept us waiting until late on but an 86th minute winner was enough to ensure the automatic promotion dream is fast approaching reality status.

Indeed, if we have ambitions of sneaking up and beating Leicester City for the title, today could well prove to have been a pivotal day with Leicester City, despite scoring late on against Carlisle, being pegged back even later. Looking over our shoulders though, both Millwall and Leeds United won ensuring this promotion race could go right down to the wire.

For the fixture, Joe Lewis shook off an injury that had threatened to keep him out of the side although Darren Ferguson did afford himself the luxury of having young Master McKeown on the bench, something he doesn`t always do. In fact the starting eleven was exactly as we`d predicted.

At a sparsely populated Boundary Park, only 5,083 crammed in to watch the continuation of Joe Royle`s homecoming, it was Posh that took the lead when, with twenty-six minutes on the clock, Craig Mackail-Smith scored for the visitors.

However, even that goal was enough to see your heart miss a beat as the ball seemed to take an age to creep over the line. Posh had chances to increase the lead but as is often the case in football, when chances are squandered, were pegged back.

With two minutes to go to half time an Eardley free kick was tucked away by Chris Taylor. Moments later the home side thought they`d taken the lead but the effort was, thankfully, disallowed.

Neither manager made any changes at half time but with the game deadlocked it was Darren Ferguson who made the first change introducing Batt in place of Whelpdale. But that winning goal never looked to be coming.

Defensive changes were made in the shape of Blackett and Westwood replacing Zakuani and Williams and just as we were contemplating two points being dropped up popped that man again.

With only four minutes of normal time left on the clock Craig Mackail-Smith scored his 24th goal of the season to send the travelling support absolutely crazy.

Somebody please pinch me, is this really happening? Are we really that close to back-to-back promotions?

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