City comfortably strolled without really breaking sweat through to the next round of the FA Cup with an easy 3-0 defeat of Peterborough at London Road, goals from Elliot Bennett, Simeon Jackson in the first half followed a Robert Snodgrass effort in the second half.
In truth it looked a very comfortable work for what was a second string team, Chris Hughton said he was going to make use of his squad, ringing 8 changes, with Russell Martin, Ryan Bennett and Robert Snodgrass the only players who played last weekend. In came Rudd, Tierny, Barnett, Fox Lappin EBennett Jackson and a returning from suspension Bradley Johnson.
Elliot Bennett scored after some Snodgrass trickery to get into the box and run along with Posh players scared to stick a foot in, he dinked the ball through to Bennett who flicked and turned to score. City's second owes much to a delightful inch perfect ball from Fox, which fell perfectly for Jackson to lift cooly over the advancing keeper.
City were in total control pinging pass after pass across the pitch, so much so I cannot recall Rudd being called into doing anything like saving an effort. In the closing stages City were awarded a free in what is now Snodgrass Country, he fired in a curling shot over the wall and was heading into the net, but a good save from the keeper in tipping the ball over.
The second half continued much like the first with City looking seldom troubled it seemed odds on City would add to their total. After dogged work by E Bennet, who held off a challenge, squared the ball for the unmarked and waiting Jackson and Snodgrass who took the onus ran from the midfield unchallenged to slide the ball under the keeper. To be fair Jackson could have taken the initial pass from Bennett but looked to have allowed Snodgrass to have a go.
It wasn't until late on did Peterborough look to really mount any sort of fight back, apart from saving a header Rudd still had nothing to do, anything Peterborough tried did not cause any trouble for the back line.
The home side had been on a reasonable run of late, but to me they looked very poor, despite all the words from Ferguson about giving it a go if I was a home fan I would feel a little disappointed with the effort and performence.
While Peterborough were poor, City went about thier work very controlled and professionally, I doubt City will have an easier game for the rest of the season .
Good to see David Fox, Simeon Jackson, Simon Lappin and Marc Tierney getting a run out, I wonder if this a little bit of a shop window for them ?