Before kick-off, Bristol Rovers' boss Paul Trollope would have settled for four goals from the side that drew a blank against Bournemouth in mid-week.

That was until he watched Peterborough score five.

The Sky TV cameras rolled into London Road and the players didn't disappoint, Posh edging an enthralling encounter littered with defensive errors but marked equally with some fine passages of play from both sides.

Rovers looked dead and buried at 2-0 down within 24 minutes after Posh boss Darren Ferguson's front pairing of Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith took it in turns to tee each other up. Two breaks of frightening speed saw the home side running away with the game and Rovers' "blip" at Bournemouth looked like something more systemic.

Against the run of play though Steve Elliott halved Peterborough's lead before the half-hour mark had been reached. A well-worked free-kick saw Stuart Campbell feed Rickie Lambert on the edge of the penalty box and his cross found Elliott at the back post.

It gave Rovers confidence and they carried the score into half-time, buoyed by the substitution of the troublesome McLean who dislocated his elbow challenging for a header.

Jeff Hughes could even have levelled before the break but hit his shot straight at Posh keeper Joe Lewis after a lucky bounce put him past Chris Westwood.

The comeback hopes faltered when Mackail-Smith ran across the path of Aaron Lescott and went down for a soft 50th-minute penalty. But they were restored just four minutes later, Shane Blackett poking Lescott's speculative cross into his own net to make it 3-2.

Mackail-Smith sealed his first hat-trick in league football after dribbling past Campbell, Byron Anthony and David Pipe to restore Peterborough's two-goal cushion. But Rovers would not lie down and die.

Jo Kuffour made his debut, coming on for Darryl Duffy, and had two chances to score before former Posh loanee Hughes did so to make it 4-3.

Ben Hunt came on to join the search for an equaliser but Scott Rendell scored Peterborough's fifth with seven minutes to play to seemingly put the game beyond doubt.

Lambert has scored in every league game so far though and gave his manager optimism by nailing an 85th-minute free-kick into the top corner to ensure an encouraging, if ultimately unfruitful, finish for Rovers.

Peterborough: (4-4-2) Lewis, Martin, Westwood, Blackett, Day, Torres (Whelpdale 55), Lee (Coutts 82), Keates, Boyd, Mackail-Smith, McLean (Rendell 41). Subs not used: Tyler, Williams.

Rovers: (4-4-2) Phillips, Pipe, Elliott, Anthony, Lescott, Lines (Hunt 82), Campbell, Disley, Hughes, Duffy (Kuffour 67), Lambert. Subs not used: M Green, R Green, Hinton.