The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
How to win… and how to lose
Posh boss Darren Ferguson delivered two starkly contrasting messages to his players as they head into the League One play-offs.
Ferguson acknowledged what a great advert for League One Posh and Bolton put on display as they fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the final match of the regular season at the Weston Homes Stadium.
But he warned his team to learn how to start games better or they can forget about winning promotion. They were 2-0 down to a fired-up Trotters team after just nine minutes.
Yet Ferguson also insisted Posh will take some stopping in the post-season action if they replicate a superb second-half display which saw them briefly take the lead before conceding a late equaliser.
Posh will now tackle a twolegged play-off semi-final against Oxford United, while Bolton take on Barnsley.
Ferguson said: “If we play like we did in the second half against Bolton, I fancy our chances. We were outstanding. It was an excellent performance.
"But you can’t start a game like we did here. If you start a game like that in the play-offs you’re done.
"We knew they would
come at us from kick off and it was a perfect start for them and the worst possible start for us.
"We have to learn from it. There was some good football in the first half, and we had some good opportunities, against a very good team, but they were far more aggressive than us.
"At half time, I just said, if you don’t do the basics better and be more aggressive, then we’re going to get beaten.
"And we did step up our game. We started winning tackles and we kept playing our football. When we combine the two basics so effectively we are a very hard team to play against.
"I said it wouldn’t be 0-0. I knew there would be goals because of the way both teams
play and, in the end, I’m disappointed to not to have won the game having gone 3-2 ahead with 10 minutes to go, but it was a great advert for the league though.
"The match was a dress rehearsal for the play-offs against quality opposition.
"There was a real edge to the game, a good atmosphere and that’s what we will get in the next couple of weeks. It was a really good game for us and that’s why I changed so many players for the game at Cheltenham last week
"Some said I should have gone strong there, but we were not going to beat Cheltenham and Bolton by a combined score of 9-0. That wasn’t going to happen and it was disrespectful to both teams to suggest it was.”
Posh finished fourth in the final League One table, three points behind third-placed Bolton and eight points off the automatic promotion places.
Derby sealed second spot with a 2-0 win over relegated Carlisle at Pride Park.
Oxford moved up to fifth after a 2-1 win at Exeter City. Barnsley dropped to sixth after conceding a 96th minute equaliser at home to Northampton Town.
Lincoln City and Blackpool lost their chance of a play-off finish by losing to champions Portsmouth and Reading respectively.
Cheltenham were relegated alongside Fleetwood, Port Vale and Carlisle after a 2-1 loss at Stevenage.