Peterborough United boss pleased to make EFL Cup progress on a night his side 'weren't quite there'

Harrison Burrows tucked away the winning spot kick to seal a 4-1 win after Posh were held to a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes by their League Two opponents on Tuesday night.

Posh were poor large periods of the game but did take the lead when Joel Randall scored his first for the club with a fine curling effort after seven minutes.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy levelled for the hosts in the second half and Posh’s makeshift forward line of Ricky-Jade Jones, Joel Randall, David Ajiboye and Kwame Poku could not find a further way through.

Ferguson said: “I’m delighted to get through, that was the main focus. There were four really good penalties to get us there and Nick has saved one.

“We weren’t quite there tonight in terms of the basics- in many aspects we were just a bit off- the tackling and winning second balls was not good enough. Our forwards couldn’t get hold of the ball and they were more aggressive than us.

"We just couldn’t get the first pass off enough and out of possession we weren’t aggressive enough. We couldn’t find the right ball, we went back when we should have gone forward so there was certain things missing.”

To try and turn things around in the second half, Ferguson replaced Kabongo Tshimanga with David Ajiboye; bringing to an end the forward’s first start for the club after just 45 minutes.

Jones was asked to lead the line until stoppage time when Jonson Clarke-Harris was brought on in advance of a potential penalty shootout.

Ferguson added: “Kabby and Kwame were struggling to maintain possession. I felt with Ricky’s pace in the middle, it could make a difference, David is quick as well. Ricky was fantastic, he should score from the run he had in the first minute of the second half but it’s a good save. He did really well, he looked a threat.

“The back four and goalkeeper were also very good.

“We finished the game strong and the subs made a difference when they came on, they gave us energy. Jeando made a big difference. He changed the atmosphere because he tackled and got about them.

“We’re a work in progress, it’s a young team and I’ve said we will get some inconsistent performances and that was the case tonight. It’s early days and we will get better. There were some very good performances though.

“Joel’s goal doesn’t surprise me, we know he’s a good player. We knew what we were buying, he’s just had a difficult few years but he’s stuck at it and he’s got confidence now.

"He was our liveliest player. It’s great that the fans are on his side now, it will make a big difference to him. I was really pleased with him.”

Posh will find out their opponents in the second round on Wednesday when the draw is made live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of Burton vs Leicester (kick-off 8pm).

Saturday’s opponents Charlton were beaten 3-1 at League Two Newport on Tuesday having made ten changes from Saturday’s 1-0 win over Leyton Orient.