Peterborough United boss insists his side have not going yet as they grind out win at Port Vale

Posh extended their unbeaten league run to eight league matches on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win away to Port Vale courtesy of Ephron Mason-Clark’s early header.

The result keeps Posh in fifth as the majority of their close rivals also tasted victory, but they are now just three points behind second-placed Oxford, who were beaten 2-0 at Wigan.

Ferguson, who watched the game from high in the stand because of a one-match ban from the dugout, was pleased to see his side digging in after giving away a number of points from winning positions this season, but was frustrated that they had to show such grit in the first place.

Ferguson said: “It was a very good result as these are the sort of results you need to get away from home.

"You have to dig it out sometimes, but we shouldn’t have had to because of the amount of opportunities we had. Some decision making let us down at the top end of the pitch, but defensively we were very solid. I’m really pleased for the goalkeeper after Saturday and the two centre halves were outstanding.

“It is a frustration because we shouldn’t be having to hang on especially because the two chances - for Joel Randall and Ricky-Jade Jones - have got to to in. In the second half, some of the decision making needed to be better.

"Credit to our defenders though, they really dug in and the two centre halves headed everything out of the box. They were both outstanding.

"It can be frustrating because we get into really good positions and then mess up stuff that is not difficult. It’s something we do all of the time. I keep going back to what I said at the start of the season that it might be frustrating at times, and it is, but we just have to keep working with them. It’ll come and we’ll get better as the season goes on.

"There’s a lot of things to be happy about though. We are 14 games in, we should have more points there’s no question about that and I just don’t think we’ve got started yet.

"There’s so much more to see and I’m waiting. I keep waiting and I hope it’s not one of those seasons where you look back and think what could have been.

"We just haven’t really got going yet and there’s so much more in the locker. Tonight was a great test of character and we came through.”

Posh lost midfielder Archie Collins in the first half due to concussion and he was replaced by on-loan centre-back Jadel Katongo, to the surprise of many Posh fans, rather than specialist midfielder Ryan De Havilland.

Ferguson said: “The choice was Ryan or Jadel but we feel, at the moment, that Ryan is better further forward as a ten, especially tonight. We felt that Jadel would control the middle of the park more and he gives you more protection. We were away from home and we know he can play in there.

"He hasn’t for City, but even when he played full-back, he played in midfield a lot, overloading in the middle. He gets to people so quickly and he’s very calm. He controlled the game for us and now I’ve got a decision to make between them for Saturday.”

Collins will miss Saturday’s trip to Blackpool due to picking up his fifth league booking of the season.

Blackpool sit in sixth, one place behind Posh, and were 3-2 victors over Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Former Posh star Siriki Dembele’s brother Karamako was among their goalscorers.