Never mind the quality, enjoy those three points

Darren Ferguson’s 400th game as Posh manager won’t live long in the memory, but he was still entitled to sport a huge grin on the final whistle.

The boss was forced into three changes by the loss of key personnel and they all turned up at Priestfield to see a pitch with a grass length more akin to a rugby match.

Add that to an opposition fully wound up by passionate former Posh boss Steve Evans and this was a banana skin of epic proportions.

But the Posh habit of opening games up with fantastic goals continued as one of the necessary replacements, Joe Ward, smashed home from 25 yards just before the break.

Mo Eisa’s penalty after one of the daftest handball offences in the history of football by Gills midfielder Mark Byrne seven minutes after the re-start looked to have settled a scruffy contest, but just as great goals have lit up this Posh campaign, defensive mishaps have provided balance and Niall Mason’s ill-judged attempted backpass 10 minutes from time enabled home substitute Mikael Mandron to give the Gills hope. The home side huffed and puffed in the knowledge this Posh team have given twogoal leads away against limited opposition twice already this season away from home, but once Connor Ogilvie’s header from a corner had flown wide and Mark Marshall’s 95th minute cross had glanced the crossbar, Posh could breathe a collective sigh of relief.

They badly missed the creativity of Marcus Maddison and the passing range of Louis Reed, but they got the job done which indicates strength in depth might not be as big an issue as many are making out.

There was precious little quality on either side once a presentable scoring chance for both had been squandered inside the opening 65 seconds. First Eisa’s shot after Siriki Dembele’s burst into the box was blocked and within seconds Posh ‘keeper Christy Pym had raced off his line to thwart on-loan Bournemouth forward Mikael Ndjoli from close range.

Ferguson’s tactical nous was vital in securing the three points as moving to three centre-backs after half an hour stopped the problems Mark Beevers was having chasing the much quicker Brandon Hanlon into dangerous areas. That’s why the gaffer has survived for so long.

Darren Ferguson’s tactical nous was crucial

Mo Eisa celebrates his goal