Darren Ferguson: 'Stranger things have happened' than Peterborough pipping Derby to League One play-offs
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Peterborough have won 12 of their 21 League One matches since Darren Ferguson took over from Grant McCann in January
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson says "stranger things have happened" than the final-day set of results his side needs to make the League One play-offs.
Posh must win at Barnsley on Sunday and hope Derby lose at Sheffield Wednesday.
A Rams draw could mean Peterborough pip them to sixth spot but it would need to be accompanied by a Posh victory by three or more goals over the Tykes.
"I wouldn't describe it as a tall order for us to win and Derby to get beat," Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"That wouldn't be a massive surprise. We just have to beat Barnsley - we can't control what Derby do but if we don't do our job, we're not going to get in the play-offs."
Both sides' opponents have secured their play-off berths, with Wednesday third and Barnsley fourth, while Bolton sit fifth having sewn up their play-off place, leaving Derby and Posh to tussle over the one remaining spot.
Peterborough could have had their destiny in their own hands heading into the final day but were held to a goalless draw by Bristol Rovers in their penultimate game.
"When I came back I said it was definitely my biggest challenge as a manager," added Ferguson, who returned to Posh for a fourth spell in charge in January on a deal until the end of the season.
"Because when you have a team in bad form it's hard to get them going mid-season, but we've managed to do that and take it to the last game.
"It's a big advantage to Derby - they just have to match our score. Even if they just get a point we have to score three more goals than them.
"So really we have to hope we win and they lose, but stranger things have happened."
Peterborough head to Oakwell having failed to score in three of their past four matches and Ferguson believes their lack of threat from set-plays is to blame.
"Three games out of the last four, we've not scored - and six games at home since I've been back [in charge], that's really, really not a good stat," he added.
"But I have to put that down to one thing - we just don't score goals from set-pieces. We had 12 corners [against Bristol Rovers] and I didn't really see us make their goalkeeper make a save.
"Over the course of a season you have to get goals from set-pieces. That's the reason why we're getting blanks - because if we don't score from open play, we don't score from set-pieces."