How many players will Peterborough United rest in the next two away games?

There were worrying medical bulletins regarding forwards Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku straight after Tuesday night’s incident-packed 4-1 win over Fleetwood Town at the Weston Homes Stadium, a result that confirmed a place for Posh in the League One play-offs for the second successive season.

Those play-offs kick off in 17 days. That’s not long enough to get players fit if they’ve suffered muscle injuries. It makes the case for leaving key men out of the forthcoming away games at Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham even stronger. Certainly Posh must tread carefully in the latter game against a team fighting against relegation on a compact little ground when physical collisions will be inevitable.

Posh are fourth and won’t want to finish any lower thus guaranteeing a second leg at home in a play-off semi-final, but they have a five-point buffer over Barnsley, who appear to have forgotten how to win, in fifth, and no-one else can overtake them. Barnsley have a tough game at play-off hopefuls Blackpool on Saturday so Posh might not even need any more points.

For the game at Bristol Rovers I really would prioritise rest over a result that would mean little in the grand scheme of things. Posh can still finish second, but that would require some unlikely results elsewhere as well as three wins for a side that looks weary.

Even Ronnie Edwards and, in particular, Harrison Burrows looked jaded at times last night and no wonder as both have made 50 or more competitive appearances this season, as has Ephron Mason-Clark who continues to take a kicking in most matches.

Three of the best players in the team need wrapping up in cotton wool for the rest of the season.

I wouldn’t be averse to giving young James Dornelly a run out at right-back on Saturday and giving Jadel Katongo a game at centre-back.

If Posh are without their first-choice wingers there might also be a way of starting both Jonson Clarke-Harris and Malik Mothersille and leaving out Joel Randall whose form has faltered badly lately which was reflected in his body language last night.

Certainly Mothersille's movement and close control last night was better than we’ve been used to seeing from a centre-forward and a first Football League goal will have done his confidence a power of good.

And how fitting it would be if Clarke-Harris emerges from the shadows to fire Posh into the Championship for a second time in his life at London Road. The double Golden Boot winner looked sharp and contributed two goals and an assist against Fleetwood, and he was only on the pitch for 20 minutes.

His first goal, a fierce and accurate strike with his left-foot, was a reminder of the (still recent) past. He won’t be one of those suffering from fatigue as he’s started just 17 games this season, and still managed 13 goals, four from the bench.

PLAY-OFF OPPONENTS

Portsmouth clinched the League One title last night with a typically dramatic 3-2 home win over Barnsley. They have lost just four times in 44 matches – Posh lost 11 times when they last went up from League One in the 2020-21 season.

The hopes of Bolton Wanderers for an automatic promotion place were hit by a 2-2 home draw with Shrewsbury Town. They now need to win their final two games against Port Vale and Posh, hope Derby slip up against either Cambridge or Carlisle and make up five goals on the Rams.

As things stand Posh would face Barnsley in a play-off semi-final, but Oxford, Lincoln City and even Blackpool could still pass the Tykes. Lincoln won a huge game 1-0 at Oxford last night to move within two points of their sixth-placed victims.