Darren Ferguson thanks his players and the fans, but his Peterborough United future remains undecided

Ferguson's contract at Posh is now technically up after his side saw their season ended in dramatic fashion by Sheffield Wednesday on what will surely go down as one of the most disappointing nights in the club's history on Thursday.

Posh were unable to convert a 4-0 lead into a place at Wembley for the League One Play-Off Final. They were beaten 5-1 by the Owls after extra time and subsequently lost a penalty shootout 5-3 following Dan Butler’s crucial miss.

Ferguson described it as a ‘cruel night.’

Ferguson returned to the club for a fourth spell in January following the sacking of Grant McCann on a contract until the end of the season. He defied the expectations of many just by taking Posh into the play-offs by taking 42 points from his 22 league games in charge.

The Hillsborough match was Ferguson’s 541st in charge of the club in four separate spells, but when quizzed on whether or not it could be his last, he responded: “It’s not a night for a question like that. How can I answer a question like that?

"There’s been no talks, no offer to stay. I was brought in to do a specific job and we’ve been clear that chat about next season will begin when the season finishes and that is now. It won’t be tomorrow though, that’s for sure.”

Ferguson also reserved special praise for the club’s players and fans after the conclusion of Posh’s season.

He added: “The players have been brilliant. I have to thank them for their efforts. No one gave us a chance (of making the play-offs) when I came back and we’ve produced some really good results and performances.

“We’ve put a smile back on the faces of the fans, not in this match, I get it, but we’ve played with a real identity and quality. Unfortunately, there’s not another team in this league like Sheffield Wednesday with this sort of atmosphere that we just couldn’t control.

“It hurts, it really hurts but I have to thank the players.

“The fans have been great since I came back too. They’ve appreciated what we’ve tried to do and again they were great tonight. I feel for them. I could hear them at 3-0 and I‘m thinking just get us over the line and they kept us going at that stage. It was intimidating, but we just couldn’t get over the line.”