Darren Ferguson: Peterborough United must do better against top teams to reach play-offs

Darren Ferguson has won 231 games across his four spells with Peterborough

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson says they must achieve better results against League One's top sides if they are to reach the play-offs.

Posh are ninth in the table prior to facing second-placed Plymouth Argyle.

They have played seven of the top eight already this season, but taken only three points from nine matches.

"If we get a good performance and not a win, it doesn't change anything. We have to find a way of winning games," Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"If we were to manage to get into the play-offs you would imagine we would have some very strong momentum because we would have to go on some run.

"Every game is only worth three points so it doesn't make any difference whether you're playing a team at the top, or second, or bottom of the league, it's still three points.

"But for this game, it would give the players that belief that we can really compete against the top teams. In the times I've been here [before], we've always managed to do that and it's something we need to start doing this season."

Posh beat current leaders Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at home back in August, but they were beaten at Plymouth by the same scoreline, have lost twice to Bolton and Wycombe, and also failed to pick up even a draw against Ipswich, Derby and Barnsley.

They have yet to face Shrewsbury Town, the team immediately above them in the table and one point better off.

Peterborough have to close a nine-point gap to Barnsley in sixth if Ferguson is to have a chance of achieving a fifth promotion with the club, having returned in January for a fourth spell in charge.

"For the supporters, if we got a win [against Plymouth] it would give them belief as well that we could crack on and get this job done," Ferguson said.

"I know we're capable of it. Even the game against Bolton [a 5-0 home defeat on 11 February], the scoreline looks scary if you didn't watch it, but there were large parts of that game, in particular the first half, when we were well in it against another good team.

"Although that result didn't turn out as we'd hoped, there is some confidence to take out even from that game."

One piece of good news for Posh - who won 3-0 at Morecambe last weekend - is that midfielder Ollie Norburn is nearing a return to action following a serious knee injury.

The 30-year-old's most recent game was in the Championship against QPR in March 2022 and he made 38 appearances last season at the higher level.

Norburn played 60 minutes for the reserves in midweek and Ferguson said: "Up to now, what we've asked him to do in terms of his [rehab] programme, he's done absolutely fine.

"He felt a lot better on Tuesday than he did the previous week, which is a good sign."