Youth is the order of the day as Posh take on the Tractor Boys at the top of League One

Peterborough United welcome Ipswich Town to the Weston Homes Stadium this weekend as both sides look to find greater consistency in their hunt for promotion to the Championship.

Whilst both teams have already flirted with the automatic places earlier in the campaign, it’s not been plain sailing for either camp following a dip in form. But the importance of nurturing homegrown talent has revived the side’s fortunes in recent weeks.

It’s been suggested in some quarters of Peterborough that the autumnal months have notoriously put the kibosh on any promotion hopes over the years following promising starts to the season.

Supporters must have felt a sense of history repeating itself following a difficult run of form, having momentarily occupied the top spot in League One in early November.

Having been knocked off that perch, Peterborough then endured a shock exit to non-league Chorley FC in the second round of the FA Cup. To compound matters further, their hangover was still evident in disappointing back to back defeats to AFC Wimbledon and Portsmouth.

The disappointment was met with frustration from supporters which led to co-owner Jason Neale defending the team and manager on social media. 

With fans allowed back inside for the first time in months, the Posh faithful were quickly buoyed by a win over West Ham United’s Under 21’s in the Papa Johns Trophy with a side made up of promising academy players.

Having freshened things up, it’s full credit to Ferguson that he started the next league game with youngsters Flynn Clarke, Harrison Burrows and Idris Kanu. 

Fans were not only treated to a hat-trick from top goalscorer Jonson Clarke-Harris, in the 4-1 demolition over Rochdale but three of the goals were created by their academy products.

As Clarke-Harris notched his 12th goal in midweek to become the league’s highest goalscorer and while Peterborough have been a conveyor belt of developing strikers, most notably Ivan Toney in recent times, co-owner Darragh MacAnthony has aspirations to continue developing their academy talent as part of his long term sustainable model for the club.

“It’s all designed to reach self-sufficiency in the near future. Our dream is great football in a new stadium with three times as many fans paying less to watch us, an improved training ground, Category One status for the Academy and for the owners to be owed no money.”

Having picked up a decent point away from home at MK Dons on Tuesday, Darren Ferguson knows the importance of completing the week with another three points against a promotion rival. 

“If we win on Saturday we would have had a good week.

“We would be in great shape for the Christmas games.

“We’d still be a little bit behind where we wanted to be in terms of points, but that would be perfection and that’s hard to achieve.

“But it really is self-explanatory for my players. When we give a certain level of performance we can beat the best sides in League One, but when we let those standards slip we get beaten.”

Sadly, Posh fans won’t be allowed in to the stadium to continue their good omen as Peterborough were placed back into Tier 3 restrictions on Thursday morning, much to the frustration of the club who have worked hard to plan and prepare for the fans safe return.

Paul Lambert’s Ipswich Town have experienced similar difficulties having made an impressive start to their campaign. Injuries had derailed Town’s progress but since picking up a string of improved results, they’re back in touch with the top six.

Despite striker James Norwood facing a trial over drink-driving charges and ten players missing through injury, Lambert was in awe of the progress that his team have made in recent weeks considering the setbacks.

He was particularly pleased with their efforts in a 2-1 win over strugglers Burton Albion last weekend. The youngsters that have been fast-tracked to first-team action in a needs must situation haven’t let anybody down and are exceeding Lambert’s expectations.

“It was an important win. But, again, I go back to injuries. We’ve got a team out, 10 lads out injured, and we need them back as quick as we can. 

“We’re the team in the division who have had 26% of young players playing. Everyone else is two per cent.

“We’ve had to go that road because we don’t have anything else. There’s a lot of good stuff going on with the young ones. They are giving everything and that’s all I can ask.”

As Portsmouth moved into the automatic promotion places during midweek and due to play league leaders Hull City on Friday evening, both Peterborough and Ipswich will be hoping that a win on Saturday will enable them to be sitting pretty in League One come Saturday teatime.

With only four points separating seventh place from the top spot, and with a number of the top eight sides due to play each other over the holiday season, its integral that those with promotion aspirations stay in the running going into the second half of the campaign.

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