A wonderful first impression as shackles were removed and some Peterborough United players were transformed

But the managerial debut of Luke Williams felt special. It felt much different. It seemed like some good players had seen shackles removed and were enjoying the freedom. Anyone who can get Abraham Odoh playing like Worrell Sterling and Ben Woods rampaging around the pitch like prime Mick Halsall must have something about him. He even prompted a goal for Harry Leonard and if he can do the same for Gustav Lindgren we can start to be believe we have a Chris Turner on our hands again, or even better, another Ferguson.

Williams is clearly a classy guy. Anyone who saw him breeze through seemingly endless media interviews on Thursday afternoon or witnessed his dealings with fans before Saturday’s FA Cup win over Cardiff City would acknowledge it, His attempt to pass a lot of the credit for a 1-0 win to Ferguson just confirmed it.

It’s early days of course and new manager bounces often deflate quickly, but Posh fans desperately needed something to get excited about and now they have it….

TALKING POINTS FROM POSH 1, CARDIFF 0…

1) Williams has mainly been a three-at-the-back manager, but he set Posh up with a flat back four, two central midfielders, two wingers, a number 10 and a centre forward. Posh started this game better than any other this season because they were aggressive and because they pressed high, a risky tactic given the skill level of the opposition, but it worked out well. Cardiff were rushed and harassed into errors in the opening quarter. They weren’t punished, but the fact Posh were playing forward, not long, with first-time passes into feet was a delight to watch, as were the regular switches out wide and the willingness to cross the ball into the penalty area from both sides. The Posh forwards won’t win many headers, but teammates won a lot of second balls and that helped them keep the pressure on. There was a stroke of luck with the only goal, but it was luck the team had earned.

2) Posh had to show a different side to their game in the second-half as Cardiff enjoyed a lot of the ball, but they were organised and disciplined and goalkeeper Alex Bass made no saves of note. Tom Lees and Tom O’Connor were outstanding in the centre of defence and well supported by full-backs Harley Mills and Peter Kioso as well as central midfielders. The fact that half a dozen players were nominated as Posh man-of-the-match by fans after the game was proof of what a great team performance this was.

3) Captain Peter Kioso was my man-of-the-match. He was so much more threatening going forward with a teammate in front of him. It was a luxury he didn’t have when playing as a wing-back. He and Odoh delivered terrific combinations in the first-half and also worked well as a pair when defending, even if virtually all Cardiff’s attacking threat came down their side, but if a cross did come in, Lees was inevitably in the right place to clear it.

4) Leonard’s goal could be a season-changing moment. The striker has looked a decent player in a poor side at times, but he desperately needed a goal. When he missed his first-minute opportunity yesterday many must have feared the worst, but his moment did arrive and it wouldn’t surprise me if he now went on a scoring run. For all the promise of this performance, few clear-cut chances were created so converting a good percentage of those that do arrive is essential.

5) Contrary to the occasional post-match opinion Cardiff didn’t feel a heavily depleted side. They made four changes to the team that won a Carabao Cup tie at Wrexham four days earlier. Posh also made four changes, two of then enforced, and they were without arguably their best player in Matthew Garbett. He wasn’t missed and it will be interesting to see how he fits into a Luke Williams line-up. Is he now fighting with Archie Collins and Ben Woods for a central midfield spot? Woods was terrific yesterday. Or will be a toss-up between Garbett and Jimmy-Jay Morgan? It’s a decent problem for the new boss.

6) It will be a completely different challenge for Posh next weekend, and in many League One matches to come, as no-one else in the third tier plays like Cardiff City. It will be long balls and many set-pieces chucked or booted straight into the Posh penalty area from AFC Wimbledon next up so it’s comforting to have a reliable goalkeeper under the high ball. The press might not be so effective against a team who probably won’t even try and play through lines so expect Posh to work hard on what worked well for an hour yesterday. Quick passes and the use of wide men to get through and around some powerful defenders.

7) It’s now 16 FA Cup first round ties in a row won by Posh. It’s a reasonable record.