Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has given his players a clear warning if they want to seriously challenge for automatic promotion this season, and that is improving their form away from London Road.
Despite being fourth in the League One table currently, Peterborough’s away form this year has hindered them from being any further up the table.
Posh have won just four of their 10 away fixtures this season and have dropped quite a few points to teams in the bottom half of the table
Ferguson’s side have lost on the road to both Wigan and Northampton this season as well as being held to a draw to relegation-threatened Carlisle United after conceding in the 96th minute.
Facing a similar relegation-threatened side this Saturday in the form of Fleetwood Town, it is a hugely important that Posh take home all three points. An away win could be a real catalyst for change in Peterborough’s form and fortunes on the road this season and would come at an ideal time given the busy Christmas schedule.
Fleetwood are certainly there for the taking currently and have lost their last three matches on the bounce however it is by no means a walkover. This is something that Ferguson wanted to make loud and clear to the players, and the manager does not want to allow any sort of complacency to creep in.
Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph ahead of their clash with Fleetwood, Ferguson said:
“I’ve repeated to the players loud and clear this week that Fleetwood’s form is irrelevant. If we are not at it then we will get beaten.
“But we need to improve away from home. We’ve conceded too many goals for a start and we will come up against a team with quality attacking players who are managed by someone who has had success at this level.
“Lee Johnson’s teams are always at it and always well organised.”
With results around them going there way, Peterborough could climb as high as second today. Given their recent form, a win for Posh is very much expected however playing away does impact their chances based on their form away from home.
As for Fleetwood, they need to get something out of the game in order to climb out of the relegation zone but could find that quite hard against the league’s top scorers.
Writer’s View
Peterborough have been a joy to watch in recent weeks and are a team full of confidence at the minute. As Ferguson said though, they do still need to improve away from home if they want to be serious contenders for automatic promotion and catch-up with the likes of Portsmouth and Bolton.
Given Fleetwood’s recent performances, it would be a huge surprise if Peterborough were not to take all three points home though.