Peterborough 0-1 Preston: Cameron Archer scores again to steer North End to victory

Preston continued their Championship play-off challenge with a 1-0 success at struggling Peterborough.

Loan ace Cameron Archer made the decisive breakthrough at the Weston Homes Stadium as North End extended their fine record under new boss Ryan Lowe.

Archer struck his third goal in four starts since his January arrival from Aston Villa when guiding a classy left-footed finish past Posh 'keeper Steven Benda in the 80th minute following fine work from Daniel Johnson.

It means the Lilywhites, who remain four points off the top six, stretched their unbeaten away run to five matches and have lost just once in 11 outings since the appointment of former Plymouth chief Lowe in early December.

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However, it was a harsh outcome for relegation battlers Posh - not least of all because Archer's strike arrived less than a minute after the hosts had hit the woodwork.

The impressive Joe Ward slammed a long-range free-kick against the bar as Posh came agonisingly close to hitting the front only to then find themselves behind within seconds.

A tricky pitch and swirling wind meant attractive football was in seriously short supply during a contest that won't live long in the memory.

But a Posh side possessing the worst attacking and defensive records in the Championship were the better team for long periods as they attempted to drag themselves out of the drop zone.

North End's Daniel Iversen was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers with an early save from Reece Brown being followed by other stops to deny Jonson Clarke-Harris and Ollie Norburn in the first half.

Preston offered little before the break after ex-Posh man Andrew Hughes landed a wind-assisted cross on Benda's bar early on.

Their slickest attack of the first period then ended with a Johnson shot being well blocked by Josh Knight before Archer dragged a decent opportunity wide in the opening minute of the second half.

Posh looked more dangerous again with Ward involved in their best moments.

He tested Iversen with a fierce shot after swapping passes with Jeando Fuchs before delivering a teasing cross which Kwame Poku bundled over from point-blank range.

But it was Preston who did eventually strike as the in-form Archer - a shrewd capture in the transfer window - found his bearings late on to earn his side victory.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson sent on strikers Jack Marriott and Ricky-Jade Jones in a bid to snatch a leveller but it was to no avail as they remain two points from safety ahead of a crunch showdown against fellow strugglers Reading on Wednesday.

What the managers said...

Peterborough's Darren Ferguson: "There is no way we deserved to lose a game in which my goalkeeper didn't have a shot to save. It was settled by the one piece of real quality from a player we tried to sign. We asked about Cameron before the January window even started but we were told he wasn't available at the time. That's the way it goes sometimes but as soon as he hit it I knew it was a goal.

"We wanted a committed and determined performance with intensity and we got that. We also got the fans on side and that was key as I felt they were in the mood to turn but we just need a break. 'Wardy' hit the bar and they went straight up the pitch to score. We gave it a real go and we were most unfortunate to lose but the players got a lift from our next two opponents, Reading and Derby, getting beaten as well."

Preston's Ryan Lowe: "I'm not really bothered about the performance - I'm more interested in the win. The performance wasn't as good as we would have liked but we have played better and lost or drawn. It was always going to need a moment of brilliance from either side to get ahead and luckily enough it was from us. It was a great pass, a great touch and drop inside and a great finish from Cameron.

"No-one will remember the other bits because it wasn't a day for football. I said to the group at half-time that it was never going to be the prettiest but we dug in and found a way to win. That's four in a row for us now and we showed again that we're capable of scoring a goal. I'd be foolish to say I've not got an eye on the table but there are so many good teams in this league. We just have to keep picking up wins."

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