Back-up number one buzzing for the chance to play in a huge New Year's Day game at Derby County

The 21 year-old experienced his first taste of a big crowd when replacing Nicholas Bilokapic after 20 minutes of Friday night’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Barnsley at the Weston Homes Stadium.

But swapping a 10k attendance at Posh for a possible 30k crowd against high-flying Derby County on Monday throws Talley’s task into perspective.

He’s looking forward to the challenge though, if Bilokapic is ruled out of a battle between third and fourth as expected.

"I hope Nick is fit to play because no-one wants to get into a side because of injury,” Talley said.

"But if I play I have to see it as a great opportunity. Playing in the Football League is what I’ve been working towards and I was buzzing to get on against Barnsley, even if it was far from the ideal scenario.

"I’m looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at Derby even if I’m not playing.”

Before Friday night Talley’s first-team football experience had been limited to EFL Cup and Trophy games, although he was a penalty shootout hero in matches against Portsmouth and Salford.

Talley conceded a goal and mishandled a cross in his first 20 minutes on the pitch against Barnsley, but a decent stop just before half-time led to him settling down and playing well in the second-half.

"It wasn’t a ‘worldie’ save by any stretch of the imagination,” Talley added. “It was actually quite a comfortable one, but it gave me confidence.

"It was a totally different experience for me compared to my cup appearances. Concentration was the key for me and the defence after the break and I felt we did well. We were unlucky not to win the game as we had plenty of momentum and chances.

"We had to play a bit differently to what we are used to, but having ‘Jonno’ (Clarke-Harris) up front came in handy as the ball was sticking to him.”