League One (England)

Pompey, looking to extend their long unbeaten league run, handed Chelsea loanee Tino Anjorin his full debut in place of injured skipper Marlon Pack.

But they found it hard going in the opening 45 minutes, going in a goal down at half-time.

There had been little in terms of efforts on goal from either side before Wycombe took the lead after 22 minutes.

An inswinging corner from Luke Leahy saw skipper Josh Scowen get ahead of two defenders to steer the ball home at the near post.

Constant Pompey pressure straight from the restart saw them equalise after 58 minutes.

Just two minutes after Abu Kamara failed to connect with a Paddy Lane cross, he made amends by crossing from the byline for Colby Bishop to stab home.

Shaughnessy nodded the winner from a Jack Sparkes cross deep into injury time to send the home fans wild.

Adam Phillips opened the scoring for the home side, with Corey Blackett-Taylor providing the second-half equaliser.

Blackett-Taylor broke through the Barnsley defence in the seventh minute, but he could only find the side-netting as the angle drew tighter.

Barnsley midfielder Herbie Kane looked to have found the top corner from 25 yards out in the 20th minute, but Charlton keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer tipped over.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 24th minute under controversial circumstances when Kane battled well to retrieve the ball in the left corner, driving inside to find Phillips who slotted home.

Maynard-Brewer and head coach Michael Appleton were booked in the aftermath of the goal, with the Addicks arguing the ball had left the field of play in the build-up.

Blackett-Taylor scored the equaliser for Charlton in the 70th minute. Driving in from the left, he beat several defenders before firing past Liam Roberts.

Junior Quitirna scored either side of Devante Cole’s first leveller before O’Keefe’s last-gasp effort to earn a share of the spoils.

The visitors broke the deadlock in the third minute when Jack Marriott broke forward down the left, crossing to Quitirna who fired past of Ben Killip.

Barnsley were awarded a spot-kick four minutes later when Cole was brought down by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch.

Cole himself stepped up and saw his penalty saved, but reacted quickly to score the rebound.

Lee Johnson’s side regained the lead in the 34th minute when Quitirna placed a 25-yard free-kick into the top-left corner.

Herbie Kane almost pulled his side level two minutes before the break. Receiving from Nicky Cadden, the midfielder struck the woodwork from the edge of the box as he aimed for the top-right corner.

Barnsley pushed for an equaliser and their pressure paid off two minutes from time when Kane’s cross found O’Keefe to head beyond Lynch.

Fleming took interim charge of the Addicks in midweek following the sacking of Michael Appleton and saw his side come from a goal down to earn a draw courtesy of Marvin Ekpiteta’s 69th-minute own goal following Karamoko Dembele’s second-half opener.

Charlton remain without a win since November and sit four points above the Sky Bet League One relegation zone, but Fleming is optimistic a change in fortunes is around the corner.

“It was a good point for us, and a good reward for the endeavour we showed,” he said.

“Sometimes you need that little bit of luck, and we had a bit of that today, but I think we deserved a point.

“I was pleased with the togetherness we showed in coming back into the game and that’s something that’ll stand the lads in good stead going forward.

“We’re a good team and we’ve got a full week ahead of us now to make sure we’re fully prepared for the next game.

“Maybe we haven’t always shown the good things for the full 90 minutes much lately, but we can play some good stuff.

“I don’t think we should be afraid of any team in this league. We definitely have the personnel to go out there and win games.”

Blackpool came into the game with the best home record in League One, and Hayden Coulson saw an effort cleared off the line before Kyle Joseph was twice denied by the woodwork.

The Seasiders broke the deadlock when Dembele met Albie Morgan’s pass before drilling low into the corner, but their lead was cancelled out when Alfie May’s shot deflected in off Ekpiteta.

The hosts are three points adrift of the play-off spots and manager Neil Critchley rued a missed opportunity to apply further pressure on the sides above them.

“It’s disappointing really because we probably should have been out of sight by half-time,” he said.

“We were more purposeful than them in the first half and we played right on the front foot, but it just wasn’t enough by the end of it.

“We were missing a goal quite badly, and then when we got one, I thought we would have had enough to go on and win the game.

“We get the first goal and we had the game in our grasp, but we’ve let it slip and that’s frustrating for everyone.

“We’ve hit the bar, the post and had one cleared off the line, and then they get that bit of luck with their equaliser.

“It’s a point, though, we’re unbeaten in four games now, so we have to keep moving forward.”

Young England goalkeeper Sam Tickle had already made a stunning save to deny James Collins when the Rams scored what proved to be the winner in the 19th minute.

Stephen Humphrys gave the ball away inside the Wigan box as he tried to clear his lines, and Tom Barkhuizen’s cross was nodded home by the unmarked Nelson.

Derby thought they had doubled their advantage shortly after when Craig Forsyth’s shot flew into the roof of the net, only for the official to award a free-kick for a foul on Baba Adeeko.

Tickle made another couple of saves either side of the break to deny Collins and Barkhuizen, who also fired into the side-netting.

Wigan’s only response was a volley from Humphrys that was met at point-blank range by Joe Wildsmith.

Not even a cameo off the bench from Callum McManaman could tip the balance back Wigan’s way, with the much-travelled forward firing into the side-netting from a tight angle.

Agyei scored in the 54th minute when he seized on a through-ball from Jayden Sweeney and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Nathan Baxter for his third goal in as many Sky Bet League One games.

However, Orient boss Richie Wellens was dismissed by referee Alex Chilowicz in the 81st minute after preventing a Bolton player from taking a quick throw-in. Bolton assistant manager Pete Atherton was shown a yellow card for his part in the altercation.

The visitors’ leading scorer Dion Charles squandered the best two chances for his side, including a header from a George Thomason cross that struck the upright when he found himself unmarked at the far post.

After a closely-contested first-half, Orient were rewarded for their sustained spell of pressure after the interval with the strike from Agyei.

Their watertight defence, which has now played five successive matches without conceding a goal, remained resilient as the hosts held on for a win which sees them climb to ninth in the table.

The Robins have been in good form since Clarke’s arrival and they had the better of the first half at Sixfields without creating any clear-cut chances.

Will Ferry hit the post at the start of the second half and that proved a key moment as Northampton forward Kieron Bowie both won and scored the decisive penalty to keep second-bottom Cheltenham three points away from safety.

“I’m pretty angry and frustrated to be honest,” said Clarke. “We got the ball into the final third on a lot of occasions today but we didn’t produce, whether that was the final pass, the cross or the shot.

“We asked plenty of questions of them but didn’t have the end product, which was frustrating, and then we give them a sloppy penalty, which was even more frustrating.

“I feel angry at the minute but we will go again. There are no complaints over the penalty – Lewis (Freestone) has to learn because he’s done it a couple of times now. You can’t be diving in there.

“It was always going to be a game where an error or a bit of quality made the difference and unfortunately we’ve given them a goal and then we lacked quality at the other end.

“We’re better than that and to be honest I see it as three points dropped, not one, because we got into so many areas of the pitch where we could have hurt them but we fell short.”

Northampton have won seven of their last 10 league games and are up to ninth in League One.

“We had to work hard to get the result today,” said Cobblers boss Jon Brady. “People won’t realise just how heavy the pitch was and how hard Cheltenham worked.

“I labelled them Stevenage 2.0 with how they play and it’s no disrespect to them because Clarkey has got a huge tune out of them and they are one of the most in-form teams in the league.

“They don’t let you get out and they don’t let you breathe and we tried to play but it was just so difficult because they suffocate you so we had to change shape at half-time.

“I thought it worked a lot better with two up front and to win and score the penalty was great. It was a shame that we didn’t finish the game off earlier because we had chances to score more goals.

“But overall, to get nine points from 12 over the Christmas period is a brilliant effort and hats off to the players and it’s put us in a good place in the table.”

Town had taken the lead inside nine minutes through Matty Taylor, but were pegged back seven minutes after the restart when on-loan Liverpool defender Luke Chambers fired home via a huge deflection.

“It was a tough night for us,” said Clarke, whose side had to dig deep as Wigan dominated both the possession and the territory, without really looking likely to force home a winner.

“We spent a lot of time without the ball, and we weren’t at our standards with the ball.

“But I’m delighted with the point, because if you can’t perform as well as you can, don’t lose the game and we did that.

“We defended superbly, and I feel a bit unfortunate with the goal we did concede, because it is a foul in the lead-up.

“But on the balance it was a tough night and we’ll take our point.

“Matty has taken his goal well, which is pleasing, but it wasn’t an easy watch, if I’m honest with you.

“They had a lot of the ball and the territory, without really causing us too many problems.

“But we didn’t look after the ball enough on the transition to get more of a foothold in the game.

“The effort, commitment, desire was there for all to see, and probably five or six months ago we’d have lost that game comfortably.”

For Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, it was a case of two points dropped – although at least it stopped the rot after two home defeats on the spin.

“I was probably a little bit disappointed we didn’t win it really,” acknowledged Maloney, who made a triple substitution at the break, such was his unease at that time.

“I think to have that amount of possession, and to be camped in their half for the whole of the second half, I am a bit disappointed we didn’t win it.

“But we have to respect the opposition, and when you concede to a set-play that early on, you immediately know it’s going to be a very difficult night in store.

“I didn’t like the first half very much…we had a lot of the ball but we didn’t have any real threat.

“The second half felt completely different and, to be fair to the players, I could feel the tension, and they kept trying to break down a very resolute Cheltenham team.

“I liked the second half, but in the first half I need a lot more.

“We made the three changes at half-time, and I just needed a different profile on the pitch.

“I knew if we did certain things, we’d have a lot of the ball, but we just needed more threat.

“Sometimes when a team is sitting very deep, you need players who are very good at one-v-ones.

“I knew if we had that, we’d create crossing opportunities, and the three boys who came on, I was really happy with.”

Goals from Rob Street and Will Goodwin were enough to spoil Des Buckingham’s first match in charge of the promotion-chasing U’s, with both sides reduced to 10 men at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium.

“I’m proud of everyone today, even more so when we were down to 10 men for a period of time,” Clarke said.

“I thought we started very, very well and managed the game well. We created opportunities and yes, they’ve had one or two, but you’d expect that with them flying in the league.

“We’d certainly have been everyone’s away banker today and we are glad to prove the form wrong. I am proud of my players.”

Cheltenham started strongly and broke through in the 34th minute when Liam Sercombe’s corner was cleared to Street, who smashed a sweetly-struck effort through a crowd of bodies from 20 yards.

Goalscorer Street then saw red for catching Stephan Negru with an elbow in first-half stoppage-time.

On the dismissal, Clarke said: “I am asking our players to be aggressive, but we don’t want to go over the line.

“Streety has struck a great goal and I am not going to kill the lad’s confidence.

“We’ll look at it, but I am not here to criticise my players. I am asking them to be aggressive, fair but aggressive.

“Sometimes we might step over the mark and we have to be mindful of that. I don’t want to be critical of him because he was having a fantastic game up until then.”

Oxford forward Ruben Rodrigues was given his marching orders for dissent after a foul on Ben Williams after 68 minutes.

Cheltenham made sure of the points when George Lloyd set up Goodwin for his third of the season with 14 minutes remaining.

Buckingham, who replaced Liam Manning as Oxford head coach a week ago, said: “It’s a disappointing result, of course.

“They started better than we did in the first half and as the game went on, we grew into it and found ourselves again.

“I actually thought they scored against the run of play, while we were on top.

“They were a very direct side and a very physical side and I thought we stood up and matched that for most of the game.

“We made some changes at half-time and we started the second half extremely well and had several chances.

“A switch off and a long ball costs you a second and then a sending off kills the momentum.”

Many had written off the rock-bottom Robins by the time Clarke was appointed at the end of September and they endured a run of 11 games without even scoring at the start of the season.

But Liam Sercombe’s first-half winner at Brunton Park means they have now scored in 10 successive matches since then and they are now just three points from safety.

“We have put ourselves into the fight, I firmly believe,” said Clarke, whose side are still bottom but are now level on points with Carlisle immediately above them.

“Let’s make no bones about it, two or three months ago we were nowhere near it.

“Now, we are fighting and scrapping away and trying as hard as we possibly can to stay in the league.”

Experienced midfielder Sercombe reacted quickest to touch in George Lloyd’s pass after Carlisle goalkeeper Tomas Holy spilled the ball while trying to prevent a corner in the 27th minute.

Cheltenham had lost in-form striker Will Goodwin to injury inside three minutes, but with the strong wind behind them, they began to create chances against a Carlisle side clearly lacking in confidence.

Lloyd had the ball in the net in the eighth minute, but the offside flag was raised.

Carlisle then had a goal disallowed of their own, with Jon Mellish denied in the 20th minute.

Cheltenham opened the scoring and went close again through Rob Street in the 44th minute, before Jordan Gibson saw a shot saved for the hosts before the break.

Carlisle applied pressure in the second half, but a shot over the bar from Dan Butterworth in the 75th minute was all they could muster and they are now without a win in seven.

Clarke was particularly pleased after last week’s 2-1 home defeat by Leyton Orient, who scored two goals in the closing minutes.

“To not get any points from that one and then coming here, it was a big game for both teams,” he said.

“My lads stood up to the challenge. It wasn’t a classic, but it was never going to be in gale force winds and we defended our goal superbly.

“A little bit of quality and a mistake from their goalie and we win the game, so I am delighted.”

Carlisle drop to 23rd following the loss and boss Paul Simpson admitted they were second best on the day.

“We got what we deserved, which is absolutely nothing,” Simpson said.

“I am embarrassed to say it, but Cheltenham wanted it more than us and that’s a rubbish thing to have to say.

“They competed, they won first contacts, got onto second balls and we were poor in possession.

“The mistake was horrendous and I am getting fed up of talking about goalkeeping mistakes. It gave them something to hang on to and they absolutely did that, while we didn’t have enough, it’s as simple as that.”

The game was settled by Liam Sercombe’s sublime goal in the fifth minute, earning the Robins their first three-point haul of the campaign at the 13th attempt.

It also secured Clarke’s first victory since being appointed as boss at the end of September.

Clarke set his team the target of 15 wins to survive this season and he was delighted to see the first one ticked off.

“The club has never stayed in League One for four successive seasons before,” Clarke said.  “That is our aim as a football club and we want all the fans to buy into that.

“Yes, we’ve had a disastrous start that’s made it very difficult for ourselves, but you can see the lads today get a standing ovation coming off the pitch because the fans know the players have left everything out there.

“So, one of 15 wins down and onto the next, but I want the lads to enjoy the moment as well. Then it’s back to work on Monday.”

Experienced midfielder Sercombe, who played under Clarke at Bristol Rovers, beat goalkeeper Jack Stevens with a deft chip from 20 yards.

It was only the bottom-placed Robins’ second league goal of the season, but they are already showing signs of improvement under Clarke.

They had picked up a creditable 1-1 draw with Derby County in their last league outing and they started well against a Cambridge side who were winless in six.
Liam Smith forced a save from Stevens a minute before Sercombe’s breakthrough and Tom Bradbury was also close in the 11th minute.

Rob Street’s header from Sean Long’s crossed drifted just past the far post before half-time.

James Olayinka tested Stevens early in the second half, but Cambridge were close a leveller when Michael Morrison’s close-range header cleared the bar in the 70th minute.

Street saw another headed effort turned over by a flying Stevens three minutes later and Smith was denied by Morrison’s block late on, but Cheltenham had done enough to end their 175-day wait for a win.

Cambridge boss Mark Bonner admitted his team need to rediscover the form that saw them win four of their first six league games this season.

“It’s a brilliant finish from Sercombe, who is a top player,” he said.

“We have to get our performance levels back to the first three games of the season.

“You look at a batch of games where you think you can pick up points, but in the latest batch we’ve picked up just one.

“In the first half we wanted the players to be more direct and we knew it would be difficult.

“Cheltenham got a good point against Derby and you can see they are playing for their new manager.”

Posh dominated possession but found chances few and far between as they slipped out of the automatic League One promotion places.

Ricky-Jade Jones came closest when he hit the bar late in the first half.

The draw extended the visitors’ unbeaten run to 12 games, but Ferguson said: “It was very frustrating. It was a very disappointing performance.

“The first half was as bad as we’ve played for a long time.

“I don’t know why. The game went the way we felt it would with them sitting in.

“But there was nothing about us. Too slow, no tempo, too many touches, people trying things in the middle of the pitch they didn’t need to do. It was really, really disappointing.

“It’s not often that I make subs at half time. We started a little bit better in the second half, but we just lacked any real quality.

“The first time we did what we worked on, we hit the bar and nearly scored. But we didn’t do it enough.

“We were off today. That’s the poorest we’ve been for a long time.”

Michael Skubala’s Imps secured a second successive goalless draw after also shutting out Derby last weekend.

But their winless run now stands at nine games, with their last victory coming at the end of November.

City had the better of the chances but failed to score for a fourth game in six.

Skubala said: “Peterborough for me are a top team, they’re great with the ball.

“We knew we wouldn’t have more of the ball than them and it was about personnel and shape to stop them.

“We thought we could hurt them on the counter and after 90 minutes we’ve had some good chances.

“A point’s good, but I thought we did enough to win it.

”We had to be aggressive still. We couldn’t be passive and I think the lads are getting it now. They know how aggressive we want them to be.

“I’m really pleased with the effort, we’re pleased with the point, but sometimes you just think it got away from you, especially some of the chances you’ve had.

“The back line was phenomenal against again. You know they’re going to have moments when they open you up.

“I’ve watched them over the last five or six games open teams up a lot and they weren’t able to do that today.”

Posh were the better side for much of the game at Sixfields but missed a string of chances before being undone by Mitch Pinnock’s remarkable late winner for a 1-0 defeat.

“It’s a really sore one because you’re playing against your rivals and it’s a big game for the club and a big game for the fans,” said Ferguson. “We haven’t lost here in a while but now we have and it’s a sore result.

“I have no idea whether or not if their goal crossed the line even after watching the video. The linesman has made a big call from a distance but that wasn’t the reason why we lost.

“The quality and the tempo and our decision-making, just the basics, weren’t good enough in the final third. We weren’t ruthless enough. The game could be over after 10 minutes because we had two absolute sitters.

“Our quality wasn’t there, which is rare. I warned the players how the game would go if we didn’t get an early goal and unfortunately I was right.

“Kwame Poku was our best player, he played quickly and got them on the back foot, but I felt we didn’t look like scoring and that’s why we made the subs.

“Our quality in the final third was nowhere near good enough and it’s a big missed opportunity for us.”

Pinnock’s volley from the best part of 40 yards, which was carried over the line by goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic, gave Northampton a first win over their rivals since 2006.

“It obviously feels good and I’m just pleased to get our first win of the season,” said manager Jon Brady. “The work ethic from the players was absolutely fantastic against a very good side.

“They are a top team and full respect for them and the way they play. They made us work hard for it but I thought we really grew into the game.

“I didn’t think we were that great in the first 20, 25 minutes but we got better and gained some confidence, and we’re also fitter now and I feel the players are believing in themselves and what we want to do. We grew into the game and we got better.

“If you look at the fixtures we’ve had, we’ve played four teams who would be in the top eight without Wigan’s points deduction so it’s been a baptism of fire, but it’s great to get our first win on the board.

“The last 15 minutes, our fans were incredible and they gave us that extra energy when we needed it. They had some chances but to reduce them to only one shot on target is an immense achievement.”

The only goal of the game came in the 14th minute when Connor Ripley failed to keep out Ephron Mason-Clark’s back-post header from Kwame Poku’s cross.

Posh had plenty of chances to put the game to bed thereafter, but ultimately had to battle hard to see the win out.

“It was a very good result,” Ferguson said.

“These are the sort of results that you need to get away from home on a Tuesday night, and sometimes you have to just dig it out and we did that tonight.

“We should not have had to with the amount of opportunities we had, but we did.

“Some decision-making let us down in the top end of the pitch attacking wise, but defensively we were very solid – the goalkeeper was very solid, and the two centre-halves were outstanding.”

Ripley produced a superb double save in first half added time – firstly denying Joel Randall and then Ricky-Jade Jones – to keep the deficit to one going into the break.

The Vale goalkeeper had to be alert again to thwart Poku when one-on-one just before the hour mark.

“We should not be having to hang on, if you want to call it that, because the two chances – Joel’s and Ricky’s – one’s got to go in, it’s from six yards,” Ferguson added.

“And then in the second half, I mean some of the decision-making, we’ve got to be better in our decision-making.

“The players know that, but credit to the defenders in particular.”

The hosts threatened to equalise in the 67th minute as substitute James Plant’s goal-bound effort was blocked superbly by Ronnie Edwards on the line, but that was as close as they came.

Boss Andy Crosby feels his team, who are now without a win in seven league games, are lacking a cutting edge.

“We showed the effort, the application, the commitment – we went right to the end,” he said.

“We’ve played one of the top teams in the division with a real attacking threat, a real attacking presence.

“We go behind early in the game and they dominate the early periods, but we change the shape, we then press with a bit more intensity and turn a few balls over.

“And we seem to be saying the same thing when we get into the final third – we’re not executing the finish, the cross.

“But the effort and the commitment to keep going, to not feel sorry for yourself (was there), and that’s what you’ve got to do.

“I’ve said just now we’ve got two choices – we either start feeling sorry for ourselves and we splinter as a group.

“But I’m 100 per cent sure that’s not going to happen. I look at the lads and they’re giving absolutely everything for the cause.”

Former Orient man Hector Kyprianou and leading scorer Ephron Mason-Clark gave Posh a comfortable lead at half-time before the hosts reduced the deficit through Ethan Galbraith.

However, the visitors squandered a number of chances, keeping the home side interested before emerging with a valuable three points.

“The result was pleasing enough but the performance at the top end of the pitch was nowhere near good enough,” Ferguson said.

“I keep saying  that it is very frustrating and we need far better quality in that area of the pitch.

“How we were are left hanging on in a game like this is incredible. We are though and we know the reasons why.

“The game should have been done and dusted comfortably and we should be relaxing come the end of the game instead of hanging on.

“Missed chances, missed passes, final decision not good enough.

“Once we got control of the game, we looked good and when we were two-up, it became a bit more of a counter-attacking game even before half-time and I’m thinking ‘Just go and get the third goal and the game is over’.”

“But we just went on and made the wrong decisions. There is so much more to come but when are we going to get it?

“We had opportunities to kill the game off even when they got a goal back.

“We have to finish teams off far better than we are doing.”

Orient manager Richie Wellens lamented the nature of the goals his side conceded.

“They were really poor goals conceded by us today,” he said.

“We played against a decent outfit today but if you’re going to lose then you’d rather it was moments of quality or magic than the way we conceded which was really poor.

“We’ve squeezed every single ounce out of these players and I’m tired. I’ve done a good job but you can only squeeze so much and the injuries we’ve had is frightening.

“I’m frustrated because I thought we had a chance of a top six finish as I don’t think the league is great this year and I’m absolutely gutted we’ve fallen short.

“We don’t have a centre forward and need a man in the box which is the biggest deficiency in our team.

“We’ve got close to the play-offs and I knew today was coming but we’ve only scored two goals in five games and that’s why we’ve fallen short.

“It frustrates the life out of me.”

The proud boss saw his side claim their biggest-ever success against their county rivals with a five-star showing.

Posh took charge with three goals in the space of six minutes late in the first half as Ephron Mason-Clark’s 34th and 37th-minute double was soon followed by a deflected Kwame Poku strike.

Any thoughts of a Cambridge comeback were dismissed when Poku pounced again early in the second period following an Archie Collins-led counter-attack before Liam Bennett headed a Joel Randall cross into his own net to pile on more misery for Mark Bonner’s men.

“That is as perfect as it is ever going to get,” admitted Ferguson. “There was not one bad performance from anyone in my team.

“The players stuck to the tactical plan to the ‘T’ so I’m absolutely delighted and all credit to them for that.

“Cambridge are a good team without the ball. They do not concede many goals and no-one has done that to them.

“The first goal was important and we’ve then gone bang, bang. We were so ruthless and from then on we’ve won really comfortably.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve been waiting for that sort of performance from the start of the season and we couldn’t have picked a better day to deliver it.

“It’s a record score in this fixture and it’s brilliant for everyone to achieve something like that. The fans will remember this one for a long time.

“But Mark has done a great job at Cambridge and today is not going to change that.”

Cambridge chief Mark Bonner was full of praise for his side’s conquerors as a promising start gave way to a hiding.

He said: “You could never have said after half-an-hour that the game would end up in the way it did, but Peterborough took it away from us.

“It was a really good game for the first 30 minutes. We started with a good press and intensity, but you can’t really talk about that when the game unravelled in front of our eyes as it did.

“It was done at half-time really. Peterborough had too much for us.

“If you evaluate the goals we conceded, it is just horrible, but the pressure they put on us and the way they use the ball is very good.

“They’re where they are for a reason and it hurts me, more than anyone, to say they’re miles ahead of us.

“They’re a really good side – the best we’ve played. We couldn’t match the technical and athletic quality Peterborough have to create chances.

“We know we’ll get slaughtered, but we’ll have to take it and get on with it.”

Emphatic volleys from Luther Wildin and Ben Thompson gave the hosts a deserved lead when the half-time whistle blew at a chilly Lamex Stadium.

However, Joel Randall reduced the deficit with an outrageous backheel after the break before the sensational Ricky-Jade Jones bundled the ball home from close range to rescue a point for the visitors.

Ferguson was proud to see his young side show such resilience against an experienced Boro team.

“I think my team showed a real maturity,” said Ferguson.

“They bring in ready-made players, that is what they’re about, they’re 27, 28, 29 and know the league. They have played hundreds of games, while we’re the complete opposite.

“I thought it was a really good performance by my team, obviously the decision-making for the goals was poor.

“What we did show was a real character to get back into the game. Most teams here, if they go 2-0 down at half-time they get swallowed up.

“Ricky made the first and scored the second, he was magnificent tonight. That was his best performance for Peterborough, he was very, very good.

“I said to them at half-time, tonight is not going to decide the season but it will tell us a little bit about ourselves. You’re going to suffer in games, so I just said keep believing and don’t change a thing.”

Stevenage boss Steve Evans insists his side got a point against the best team in the league.

“These are the best, the best we have played,” he added.

“I am really proud of my players and I am really proud that we have won so many games and that we are around these lot in the table.

“We will fight, but they are, for me, the best team in the league and we have played Portsmouth who are special. No one would want to play Posh, but we have dealt with that now and we will see them in March.

“The boys are in a good place, the dressing room was devastated that we didn’t win the game in the end because we were 2-0 ahead and it finishes level.

“We were also disappointed with the penalty decision at the end because I think all my players were saying that at the other end, Posh get the chance to win the game and we did not get that chance.

“It ended up like a table-tennis match, and the only foul in the penalty box was in the 98th minute, and I do think that if it was at the Peterborough end they give it.”

Hector Kyprianou and Ricky-Jade Jones struck their fourth league goals of the season during a dominant first-half display.

Substitute Ryan De Havilland put the seal on a stunning success with his first Football League strike for the club in second-half stoppage time.

Ferguson’s men moved to within a point of the automatic promotion places thanks to a result which extended their unbeaten run on their own turf to 13 games in all competitions.

Ferguson said: “I’m very pleased with both the performance and the result. It’s a good victory against another team who have been going well.

“It took a little while to get going but then we started to do things quicker and got a grip of the game as we scored.

“We got the second goal and the game should have really been over by half-time as we had two more massive chances to kill it off.

“I told the lads not to worry about missing chances as they would keep creating more and that’s what happened.

“We were thoroughly deserving winners and I’m delighted with the home form. There are chances being created, there are lots of goals and there are clean sheets.

“We could have scored double figures in each of the last three league games at home quite easily.

“It’s really important we continue this home form and back it up with more wins away.”

Oxford boss Des Buckingham saw his wait for a first league win in the hotseat continue after they were brushed aside.

Billy Bodin had a penalty appeal waved away on the hour but they rarely looked like making a comeback.

Buckingham admitted: “We simply weren’t good enough.

“We can talk about tough conditions with the weather and the pitch and so on but we have to remove the excuses.

“If you give a team like this a two-goal lead, you’re going to find it very difficult to come back into a game.

“We know we’re not quite where we need to be. I’ll take responsibility for that and the players will also.

“What people see on the outside and what people see on the inside are very different. Those that know me know that.

“I’ve been here for two weeks and had five games in that time. At some point I need to put my stamp on things. It’s a fine balance to strike but now is that time.

“We had three good results leading into this game but the league is the priority for us and we need to react on Tuesday night (against Reading).”

Shrewsbury went ahead just before the hour mark after Jordan Shipley’s cross-cum-shot found the back of the net.

But after dominating for large parts, Peterborough found their cutting edge after going behind and were back on level terms within six minutes when Ricky-Jade Jones converted from close range.

They then went on to win it with just under 15 minutes remaining as Hector Kyprianou bundled the ball in from close range to grab a goal and assist.

Ferguson said: “It’s a big three points. Like I have said for a while now it’s just about getting the points on the board, and we have managed to dig one out, I suppose, today.

“The conditions are what they are, and at this time of year, you don’t expect much different, but I thought we handled it OK.

“We didn’t start the game well. We didn’t have enough tempo about our game, and then we managed to get control.

“These are the important ones (wins). I said to the players these are the ones you look back on and think that was a big three points.

“The reaction of the players was fantastic to go 1-0 down, great character David (Ajiboye) has come on and made a great impact and I was delighted with him.”

Shrews boss Matt Taylor said: “It hurts that one because it is the first time this season where we’ve gone in the lead and lost a game of football.

“It is tough to stand here now and take that, but when you contextualise everything and remove emotion, they are a really good team.

“We are obviously in a period where we have had two really difficult home games. I would have loved to have finished this calendar year and our last home game with a positive result.

“Whether that be a draw or win against a team that will obviously be there at the end of the season.

“The players have gone toe-to-toe with an opposition that will probably be in the play-offs this season.

“You can see the attacking threat they have but the goals we have conceded are nowhere near good enough.

“We work and talk about everything on the training pitch, and today, especially with the second goal to come from a set play.

“It’s something we spoke about as a group and highlighted as a group of staff so to concede that goal the way we did is nowhere near good enough.”

The Posh chief took charge of his side following the death of his mother, Lady Cathy Ferguson, at the age of 84.

He was rewarded with a third consecutive home triumph and clean sheet which keeps them in the Sky Bet League One play-off places.

Players and fans both showed their support, with the entire Posh team celebrating David Ajiboye’s spectacular 52nd-minute opener with Ferguson.

And Joel Randall’s late clincher, his first EFL goal more than two years after arriving from Exeter, was immediately followed by loud applause from supporters in memory of Lady Ferguson throughout the 84th minute.

Lincoln should have been ahead by the break with Danny Mandroiu hitting the bar and Sean Roughan heading a glorious chance over from a corner, but then faded out of the contest.

Posh assistant boss Kieran Scarff said: “All I can say on behalf of Darren is how much he values and appreciates the support he has had from the players, the staff across the club and the fans.

“It’s always important to win football matches and perhaps there was a little bit more added to that today.

“The gaffer is delighted with the performance and the players deserve plenty of credit for it as we were very good for large periods of the game.

“We spoke at half-time about increasing the tempo of our play a bit and scoring the early goal in the second half was crucial.

“It was a great strike from David and I’m delighted for him scoring for the second home game running.

“Joel’s got the confidence and belief back. His performances have generally been good and it was great to see him scoring.

“We created a lot of chances to score more, but we’re more than happy.”

Lincoln head coach Mark Kennedy admitted: “For 45 minutes we looked like a really good team who I felt were going to win the game.

“I thought we should have been at least 2-0 up by half-time. We played really well in the first half, our counter-press was excellent, we caused Peterborough a lot of problems and turned the crowd.

“But the frustration is that we weren’t clinical enough to take our chances and the two goals we conceded in the second half were down to absolutely appalling decision-making.

“That’s the black and white of it. We had really good moments but got nothing because our decision-making then changed the course of the game.

“I said to the guys after the game that I can accept learning, but I’m not in an academy anymore. I’m now in the getting sacked business.

“We’ve got real talent in our group, but the best players in football make the best decisions.”