Posh looking to lay down a marker

ATHLETIC will have a two-pronged mission at Peterborough United tomorrow — to dent their hosts’ promotion bid while enhancing their own credentials.

It is a Coca-Cola League One fixture of massive importance as both teams occupy play-off places, with Athletic in sixth and Posh fourth.

Posh manager Darren Ferguson, the son of legend Sir Alex, believes games in December could have a massive bearing on whether they can achieve back-to-back promotions.

Their next three matches are all against teams in the mix as, after Athletic, they face a trip to Leicester City and a home game against Millwall.

Ferguson jnr said: “I was quoted as saying this is my biggest month in management, and that couldn’t be more true. It is absolutely huge.

“If we have a successful December, we can lay down a marker in the promotion race.”

The month could not have got off to a better start for Posh, who won 3-1 at Stockport and returned to the North-West in midweek to triumph 2-1 after extra time at Tranmere in an FA Cup, second-round replay.

Posh have seen their fortunes take a turn for the better after losing three of their first four matches in League One.

They are unbeaten in their last 15 league matches — only two short of equalling the club record.

And after their exploits in the FA Cup when Aaron McLean scored an equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time and Craig Mackail-Smith hit the winner with a penalty shoot-out looming, Ferguson was understandably jubilant.

He said: “This team doesn’t know when it is beaten. They kept going, they never gave up and showed great character and determination.

“I think on the night we deserved to progress as we had hit the woodwork four times.”

These are heady days for Posh, whose revival has coincided with overseas property tycoon Darragh MacAnthony buying the club and investing heavily in the playing staff.

The Posh team has cost more than £1million to assemble which Athletic manager John Sheridan acknowledges is a sizeable sum to spend at this level.

This year they they have splashed out a club record £400,000 for England under-21 keeper Joe Lewis and around £350,000 for Fulham central defender Gabby Zakuni.

And shortly before Ferguson was appointed manager in January 2007, previous Posh chief Keith Alexander made a triple swoop into non-league football for Mackail-Smith (Dagenham & Redbridge), McLean (Grays Athletic) and Boyd (Stevenage Borough).

The total cost of the three front players was more than half-a-million pounds, with Boyd’s fee of £265,000 a record involving a player leaving the Blue Square Premier.

There were raised eye brows when Posh paid so much for the trio, but they have emerged as key figures in the meteoric rise from the bottom half of League Two to the top six in League One in less than two years. They scored a remarkable 67 goals between them last season.

Mackail-Smith has already struck 16 times this campaign to take his total to 43 in 79 matches.

McLean has found the net on seven occasions, despite not starting eight matches after dislocating his elbow. His total for Posh is 45 goals in 78 first-team appearances.

And Boyd, who drifts in from the left flank, has six goals and a total of 27 in 97 matches since he joined the club.

Sheridan, who watched Posh’s cup victory in midweek, is impressed with the threesome, saying: “They have paid a lot of money for a team in League One, with Mackail-Smith, McLean and Boyd costing over £500,000.

“It helps when you are able to bring in players of that quality and we know we will have to defend well against them.”

This weekend’s League One fixture are —

TONIGHT: Brighton v MK Dons. TOMORROW: Bristol Rovers v Tranmere, Carlisle v Leicester, Crewe v Swindon, Hereford v Hartlepool, Leeds v Colchester, Leyton Orient v Cheltenham, Peterborough v Oldham, Scunthorpe v Northampton, Southend v Huddersfield, Walsall v Millwall, Yeovil v Stockport.