Peterborough United boss issues apology to the fans after a 'totally abject' Nene Derby performance

He issued an apology to the fans after they were humiliated 4-0 at home by local rivals Northampton Town.

The stands were empty long before Tom Eaves headed home in the 90th minute to consign Posh to their biggest home defeat of the season and certainly the most disappointing.

Posh were already trailing 1-0 before Tayo Edun lost his head and struck Cameron McGeehan in the face to earn his second red card in just four matches.

Ferguson admitted at full time that his side were clearly second best both before and after that pivotal point in the game.

Posh fell just one place in the table to 15th and the gap to the bottom four stayed the same as Burton were beaten 3-0 at Wrexham in the early kick-off.

There was no holding back from Ferguson at full-time as he admitted Posh fully deserved to lose the match.

Ferguson said: “I’m bitterly disappointed, it was a totally abject performance. I have to apologise to the fans, I have never seen, in my time, the stadium that empty. This is a big game for the fans and we’ve let them down massively.

“Even before the red card, we were second best. They wanted it more. You can’t argue about the result and all the things we worked on, we didn’t do. We were second best all over the pitch.

“It is a complete act of ill-discipline (from Edun). He punched him in the face. It’s just something you can’t do. The throw out was a mess from Jed Steer, the ref gives the foul which it clearly was and then he’s punched him straight in the face. That’s pretty much his season done now.

“After the red card, I could either go to a back five and sit in or go 4-4-1 and it was unfortunate for Malik. but he was the obvious one to come off as I chose to stick with four defenders.

“If I had my own way at half time, I would have made more than three changes, but having made one already, I had to keep one back. The changes I did make were just down to poor performances. They just weren’t good enough. Mo Susoho and Ryan De Havilland went on and did very well. I had to take Ricky off in the second half, but he does come out with some credit. He kept going, he kept running and he was the one that was getting us up the pitch. I just wanted to get him off with the games we’ve got coming up.

“In the second half we kept going, but the start of the game in derbies is important and they got well on top. We were a mess and they thoroughly deserved their win.

“The fourth goal typified the game and the day. When you leave the most dangerous player in the box free, then it is going to be a goal, it’s as simple as that. As a team, it was a shocking performance.

“What we’ve done in the last 10 games, is build some real momentum with real focus and real consistency and then today we went back to a performance you were seeing around December and January with bad habits, being soft, bad goals and losing tackles. They were miles ahead of us today.

“We needed to carry that through to a big week, but today takes the air of it. The big week for me was today and Tuesday, not Sunday. I have no interest in it, why should I when we’re only on 48 points? Maybe that message hasn’t got through.”

Posh must now face league leaders Birmingham City at home on Tuesday. The Blues were 6-2 victors over Barnsley on Saturday and can win promotion at London Road on Tuesday with victory.

Posh also tackle City in the Vertu Trophy Final at Wembley next Sunday (April 13).