Peterborough United 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers: Michael Smith fires Posh into play-off places

Posted Sunday, November 13, 2016 by PA

A moment of brilliance from Michael Smith catapulted Peterborough into the League One play-off places as they saw off fellow promotion hopefuls Bolton 1-0.

Smith made up for the disappointment of missing out on the latest Northern Ireland squad by hitting a stunning first goal of the season as his side jumped six places up the standings.

The defender collected a fine cross-field pass from Leo Da Silva Lopes before unleashing a dipping 25-yard strike past substitute Wanderers goalkeeper - and former Posh captain - Ben Alnwick in the 27th minute.

That proved to be enough to bring Bolton's five-match winning streak in League One to an end as they missed the chance to climb back into the top two.

Wanderers were dealt an early blow by the loss of keeper Mark Howard with a hand injury after a collision with Shaq Coulthirst and posed no threat in a poor opening half.

Bolton were much-improved after the break but could not level as substitute Chris Taylor fluffed their best two chances.

They also saw penalty appeals ignored when a Josh Vela shot appeared to be blocked by the hand of Michael Bostwick.