AARON Cresswell scored his first goal for Ipswich Town to give them a 3-2 win over Peterborough in a pulsating match.

The clash of the Championship entertainers lived up to the billing as Town were pegged back twice but eventually grabbed the three points thanks to a speculative 25-yard shot from their left-back.

Grant Leadbitter scored his third goal in two matches to give the home side the lead but Peterborough deservedly equalised before half-time through Tyrone Barnett.

An amazing end to the match, which saw three goals in the final 14 minutes, saw Daryl Murphy head home a second before Posh sub Emile Sinclair grabbed a second equaliser with seven to go.

But just 60 seconds later, Cresswell’s long range shot took a mighty deflection off Gabriel Zakuani to wrong-foot Paul Jones and claim some revenge following Peterborough’s 7-1 victory over Town in August.

Leadbitter rifled home an controlled volley from 12 yards to give the Blues the lead on the quarter-hour mark but Posh grabbed a deserved equaliser when Tyrone Barnett – a striker Paul Jewell showed an interest in – scored in the 34th minute.

It was no more than the visitors deserved after constantly posing a threat to the creaky Town defence.

At the other end, Ipswich showed their own attacking qualities at times during an entertaining first half.

Both sides could have scored within the first three minutes, Michael Chopra only finding the body of Paul Jones with a header before Barnett had the first of a number of good chances, but poked George Boyd’s cross wide at the near post.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Boyd exchanged chances before a decent move from the hosts saw the former Arsenal man released by Lee Martin, but his first time shot was well parried away by Jones.

From the resulting corner, the Blues took the lead. Damien Delaney did well to head Andy Drury’s corner back across goal and as Peterborough failed to clear, Leadbitter was on hand to fire the opening goal despite the best efforts of the visitors’ defence on the goalline.

For the home fans looking for revenge after the 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the same opponents in August, it was meant to open the floodgates.

But Peterborough were more than a match for their East Anglian rivals and they got back on level terms in the 34th minute.

Boyd, impressive as ever, released Barnett and though Alex McCarthy came out and blocked the striker, the ball appeared to ricochet off the former Crawley man and into the net – despite the best efforts of the backtracking Delaney.

From then on, it was the visitors who looked more likely to strike again with McCarthy denying Paul Taylor and Lee Frecklington.

Town almost went in at the break ahead when Lee Martin’s beautifully searching cross was headed back by Daryl Murphy but Chopra could only direct his header wide of the post before Barnett went close with a header of his own.

For sheer number of chances created, the second half was always going to be hard pushed to beat the first 45 – even though McCarthy had to be alert to push behind Boyd’s early low drive that was destined for the far corner.

It took Town 21 minutes of the second half to fashion a decent goalscoring chance when Chopra perhaps connected too well with Carlos Edwards’ low cross and fired just over from 12 yards.

And it was the Blues’ top scorer who again almost gave his side the lead but could only strike the crossbar after Lee Martin’s cross-cum-shot.

Ipswich finally regained the lead in the 76th minute when Peterborough failed to clear Drury’s dangerous corner. Delaney saw his header brilliantly saved by Jones but Murphy was on hand to head home the rebound.

But with seven left, Peterborough equalised for the second time and once again the home side must look at themselves defensively.

Boyd chipped the ball over to Emile Sinclair and the sub, with time in the area, chipped the ball over McCarthy who could have perhaps reacted quicker.

But it mattered not after Cresswell’s long range shot and a huge slice of luck which gave Town a three points they just about deserved.

TEAM NEWS

Lee Martin has returned to the Ipswich Town starting line-up after Paul Jewell opted to drop Jason Scotland against Peterborough.

The Blues boss has made just one change as he looks to avenge August’s 7-1 hammering by their East Anglian rivals.

As expected, Grant Leadbitter has shaken off the groin injury that forced off the midfielder against Hull last week to take his place at Portman Road this afternoon.

Peterborough are unchanged from the side that beat Blackpool 3-1 last time out with their forward line headed by Tyrone Barnett, someone who was on Jewell’s radar before he arrived at London Road from Crawley Town.

Teams

Ipswich: McCarthy, Edwards, Smith, Delaney, Cresswell, Drury, Leadbitter, Emmanuel-Thomas, Martin, Murphy, Chopra. Subs – Lee-Barrett, Bowyer, Scotland, Stevenson, Sonko.

Peterborough: Jones, Alcock, Zakuani, Brisley, Rowe, McCann, Frecklington, Boyd, Tomlin, Barnett, Taylor. Subs – Lewis, Little, Ball, Sinclair, Kearns.