This is the best we have seen from Ferguson at Posh – the numbers don’t lie

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson marked his 100th game of his third stint in-charge at London Road with a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic on Saturday to go four points clear at the top of the table.

The last time Posh were first back in November they went on to lose four of their next five games and slumped to fifth. So when the Latics scored directly from a corner at the weekend, Peterborough’s reign at the top of League One was on track to be another brief one. 

A coup de maître from Ferguson – replacing in-form Sammie Szmodics, Reece Brown and Mark Beevers for Mo Eisa, Ethan Hamilton and Harrison Burrows with ten minutes to play – helped Clarke-Harris score two goals in two minutes to grab his manager a win on his 467th game in-charge. 

With his sharp and observant eye clearly still intact, the Scotsman’s 100th game after his reappointment in 2019 sees his win rate stand at 52% (P100 W52 D19 L29) – his best yet.

Substitutes Eisa and Burrows changed the game for the hosts and disrupted a well-organised Wigan side who had done a brilliant job at limiting the space for Posh in transition up until that point. The striker played a quick one-two with the wingback and the latter produced a world-class cross into the box for Clarke-Harris to equalise.

The 19-year old also played a key role in the winner as he kept the ball alive for Siriki Dembele to dribble and bait Wigan defender Tendayi Darikwa into making a challenge. The tackle resulted in referee Thomas Bramall pointing to the spot and Clarke-Harris slotting home his 21st of the season – his seventh consecutive goal.

Keen to avoid his side being called title favourites despite holding a healthy advantage over their fellow promotion rivals, Saturday felt like a big win for Fergie’s men. The visitors played with brilliant intensity throughout the match and it was hard to argue against their lead in the 72nd minute.

Yet once again, the Posh came from behind and won for the sixth consecutive match. Four of which have come at the Western Homes Stadium; another table the Cambridgeshire club top for holding the best home record in the division with no other team dropping fewer than five points. 

There are still plenty of games to play of course and with clubs playing three times in eight days on a regular basis, league positions can soon change, but as long as Fergie’s men keep doing what they are doing, it won’t matter how other teams around them perform.

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