PETERBOROUGH 58, SHEFFIELD 38: CAPTAIN Ulrich Ostergaard powered to a paid maximum as Peterborough hit top form with a vengeance to slam Premier League bottom side Sheffield tonight (Wednesday).
The Danish ace was unbeaten by an opponent on his way to a haul of 12+3 points as new 'TC Harrison' Panthers team boss Carl Johnson’s reign began in memorable style.
Ostergaard was joined in double-figures by top-scorer Ryan Fisher who reeled off four successive victories after being on the receiving end of a 5-1 in the opener as the home side suffered a nightmare start.
But they quickly hit their stride to sting Sheffield with an onslaught of six successive heat advantages - a scorching run which included no fewer than four maximums.
The powerful middle-order duo of Ostergaard and Ales Dryml were responsible for two of the 5-1s before Fisher and Lewis Blackbird sped home in heat six after the latter had delivered an eye-catching first lap swoop round the outside.
Lasse Bjerre brilliantly nursed reserve Joe Jacobs, who delivered the best display of his Panthers career, home for another 5-1 in heat seven.
It meant the Tigers were cast 16 points adrift by the time they deployed Taylor Poole in search of double-points in the eighth instalment.
The Australian talent made no mistake to earn the visitors a 6-3 return and a 7-2 followed when visiting skipper Simon Stead cashed in Sheffield’s second tactical outing in heat 11 to reduce their arrears to 10 points.
But that was as close as they came to a comeback as Panthers finished the job of pocketing maximum points in impressive style.
Fisher produced a stunning late blast around the inside to pinch heat 13 glory from Ty Proctor’s grasp and secure a 4-2 that ensured his team would emerge victorious.
And they secured all three available points in emphatic fashion moments later as Jacobs and Ostergaard flashed past Tigers veteran Andre Compton in tandem to claim a 5-1.
Ostergaard then completed a deserved paid maximum by following home Fisher in the finale as Panthers wrapped up their second-biggest success of the season with a flourish.
Team chief Johnson said: “We didn’t get off to the best start with Sheffield taking a 5-1 in the opening race, but it was a tremendous performance from then on.
“The riders all know what I expect from them and they rode their socks off for the cause. Ulrich certainly deserved his paid maximum and there could easily have been a couple more from other riders.
“It was a fantastic way to start in the job of team manager and hopefully we can follow it up with a few more points on the road over the next few days.”
A hectic spell of four meetings in as many days for Panthers continues when they travel to Redcar tomorrow (Thursday) ahead of trips to unbeaten Premier League leaders Edinburgh on Friday and Berwick on Saturday.
SCORES:
‘TC HARRISON’ PETERBOROUGH: Ryan Fisher 13, Ulrich Ostergaard 12+3 (paid max), Joe Jacobs 9+1, Lasse Bjerre 9, Ales Dryml 8+1, Lewis Blackbird 4+1, Nicki Barrett 3+1.
SHEFFIELD: Simon Stead 10+1, Taylor Poole 10, Ty Proctor 7, Leigh Lanham 5, Simon Nielsen 4+2, Andre Compton 2, Josh Bates 0.