Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson prioritising results over performances as he takes on his biggest Posh challenge but he can't ask for any more from his players

Ferguson was brought back for a fourth spell in January in an attempt to get the club promoted for the fifth time under his stewardship.

So far, he has masterminded three wins from three, but his side still sit three points behind the play-off places, something he has said shows the scale of the task he is facing.

Posh are set to face the biggest test of Ferguson’s tenure so far on Saturday as they host fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers. Ian Evatt’s side are nine points ahead of Posh, but have played three games more.

Ferguson said: “This is my biggest challenge because, in years gone by, there’s always been a chance of automatic promotion if you went on a good run but this season, it’s just the play-offs. We’ve won three on the bounce and are still three points off the play-offs. It shows the strength of the teams above us.

"It’s a big challenge but the players, up to now, have been good and the results have been very good and we’d like to continue that for as long as we can.

"It has been different challenges. We faced a Port Vale team who had won their previous four home games and won that game fairly comfortably by growing into the game. Then we played Portsmouth, who had a new manager, had won two out of two and for 70 minutes we were excellent. Then we had Forest Green, another new manager and it was a really tough match, totally different to what we had played, but we found a way of winning it. I can’t ask any more really.”

Bolton were very active in the January window, bringing six new players including forwards Victor Adeboyejo from Burton Albion, Cameron Jerome from Luton, Dan Nlundulu from Southampton and Shola Shoretire from Manchester United.

But the Trotters could be missing eight senior players for the trip to Posh. Regardless of the visitors’ problems, Ferguson has said that he is expecting a tough test and that he will be focusing on results over performances as Posh look to break into the play-off places.

Ferguson added: “We face a different test on Saturday. We have to be equipped to deal with whatever is thrown at us, consistency is key.

“I’m not overly worried about the performance, it’s all about the result because that’s where we’re at in this business end of the season.

“Bolton are a very good team and I think it’s going to be a really good game of football. They’ve done a fair bit of business in January and they’ve got some injuries, which every club picks up, but they’ve got a strong squad and are having a very, very good season.

“It’s going to be a good game and it’s one I’m looking forward to. it will be a good atmosphere, not dissimilar to the Portsmouth game. It’s two good footballing teams, wbut e’ll be ready. We need to make sure we stay consistent with the results more than the performances.”