Shrewsbury power past Peterborough to reach FA Cup third round again

Posted Sunday, November 27, 2022 by PA

Shrewsbury progressed to the FA Cup third round for a sixth straight season following a 3-1 win over Sky Bet League One rivals Peterborough.

In an eventful first half, Tom Bayliss, Matt Pennington and Luke Leahy were all on target for the hosts, meaning Kwame Poku’s equaliser proved a mere consolation.

The Shrews forged into a second-minute lead when Bayliss swept a low shot inside Lucas Bergstrom’s far post from 12 yards following Jordan Shipley’s left-wing cross.

Posh levelled before the quarter-hour mark after home goalkeeper Marko Marosi’s appalling pass out from the back went straight to Jonson Clarke-Harris, whose cross from the left was tucked into an inviting goal from four yards out by Poku.

Shrewsbury restored their lead on 35 minutes when Bergstrom failed to hold onto Taylor Moore’s shot and Pennington reacted quickest to convert the rebound.

Home captain Leahy then made it 3-1 with the last kick of the half with his penalty finding Bergstrom’s bottom-right corner as the on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper dived in the opposite direction.

Harrison Burrows had kicked Chey Dunkley during an attempted clearance to concede the spot-kick.

After the break, Clarke-Harris prodded wastefully wide with the goal at his mercy from 10 yards and Ephron Mason-Clark shot tamely straight at Marosi from a similar distance, as Grant McCann’s men suffered a 10th away defeat from their last 13 road trips.