Crisis club Cheltenham had two players sent off as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Peterborough on a night to forget.

Troubled Town – still without a win or a league goal all season – were dealt a major blow when James Olayinka was sent off in just the fourth minute after catching Ephron Mason-Clark in the head with a reckless boot.

But the 10 men came agonisingly close to opening their account for the campaign when Aidan Keena thumped a 25-yard shot against a post 10 minutes before the break.

Posh eventually took command with two goals in seven minutes in the second half as Harrison Burrows played a key role.

Burrows steered in the 54th-minute opener after Kwame Poku’s low cross was diverted into his path and then delivered a corner for Jonson Clarke-Harris to head home a second goal after 61 minutes.

Town’s night got even worse as substitute Nathan Butler-Oyedeji was sent off in the 88th minute after receiving two cautions in quick succession.

Peter Kioso then smashed in his first Peterborough goal from 25 yards in the fifth minute of stoppage time to add more pain for under-fire Cheltenham boss Wade Elliott.