Peterborough United boss explains why it was the 'right time' to take star forward Jonson Clarke-Harris out of the side

Double League One golden boot winner Jonson Clarke-Harris - the club’s top scorer again this season with four goals - was surprisingly named on the substitutes’ bench with rookie Ricky-Jade Jones lining up in the centre forward position in his place.

The result justified the tactics as Posh won 1-0 to maintain fifth place in League One, although Jones should have put Posh 2-0 up in first-half added time.

Ferguson said it was a tough decision to drop Clarke-Harris, but he has to face facts as the likelihood is the 29 year-old will leave the club in January.

Ferguson said: “It was a tough decision, to leave Jonno out and it always will be. He understood what I said to him, but he was clearly disappointed. He showed a very good reaction when he came on though.

“It’s probably inevitable that he’s going to be gone in January so I need to look at different options. The decision I made tactically was that Ricky would find more space than Jonno because he’s quicker and in moments he did.

"There’s one he should have scored in the first half and in the second, he’s made the wrong decision when we had a chance to get someone in on goal, but it was the right game to make the switch.

“Ricky did fine. He did what we asked as he stretched the game, he pressed and he was a nuisance. The defenders had to always be on their toes and so for a young lad coming into a position he has not played often, but one we know he can play, he did fine.

“It was the right move because of the size of the pitch and we knew they would go after us. In the second half, he was playing one vs one.

“We’ve got to remember he’s only a young boy. People think of him in a certain way because he’s been at the club so long and been in and out, but I thought he was absolutely fine.

"One thing you’ve got to do against him is always defend the space. I couldn’t have gone with a quicker front four tonight. Maybe I could have picked David Ajiboye, but Kwame Poku came in because it was a different kind of game and we needed to be inside a little bit more in the pockets, which Kwame does well. He looked tired when he had his chance to score from a one-on-one opportunity.”

Ferguson will have a decision to make as to who starts up front against Blackpool on Saturday, but one player who will not be available for selection is Archie Collins whose rash sliding challenge in the first half saw him pick up a fifth yellow card of the season in League One and trigger a one-match suspension.

He was later taken off with concussion, which he suffered while making the tackle on Gavin Massey and sliding into the wing-back’s studs.

Ferguson added: “He’s concussed and is a bit shaky. He did it when he got booked and that’s frustrating because there’s no need for that. Hector has to release the ball quicker to Ephron. We can be so careless at times when we don’t need to be.”