Peterborough United chairman on a search for the marginal gains required to turn a play-off finish into automatic promotion

Posh have lost in the play-off semi-finals in each of the last two seasons and watched their conquerors – Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United – go on to win promotion to the Championship.

Key players from last season’s exciting squad Josh Knight and Ronnie Edwards have already left the club with club captain Harrison Burrows also expected to depart before the start of the League One season on August 10. Posh have signed five new players in George Nevett, Abraham Odoh, Chris Conn-Clarke, Rio Adebisi and Cian Hayes with others expected arrive before the summer transfer window closes on August 31.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony is in Spain at the first-team training camp and has held meeting with the management staff and other senior club officials.

“I have a 62-page report from my data guy on last season,” MacAnthony said. “It most made for good reading as we were top in many League One categories like penalty area incursions, crosses, shots on goal and chances created, but we were not so good in other areas like defending set pieces and making tackles in our own area. We are basically seeking inches as we finished eight points short of the top two.

“We are consistently one of the top clubs in League One no matter how tough the division looks and we should now be regarded as one of the better teams at this level. We should expect to compete at the top end.

“We have come to camp two or three pieces short which is normal. In an ideal world we would have a complete squad ready to go on July 1, but football doesn’t work like that. Premier League clubs won’t let players out until the Euros are over for a start, but remember last season Jadel Katongo, Peter Kioso and Malik Mothersille all arrived late in the window and all proved to be excellent signings.

"We know what we want and who we want. We need a right-back, a centre-back and a player in another position, and we will be putting the same product out there. We want to be successful obviously, but we will be keeping our identity, one that our fans bought into so well last season. We will still be playing out from the back and we will have full-backs who complement the wingers in front of them.

"I believe we will be very good again. We still have the best two central midfielders in the league and out four up front could be Joel Randall, Kwame Poku, Chris Conn-Clarke and either Ricky-Jade Jones or Malik Mothersille, but we also have variety with the two new wingers Abraham Odoh and Cian Hayes.

“Conn-Clarke could be anything he wants to be and Adebisi already looks to be a quality signing and a real leader.”

Posh play their first friendly of the summer against League Two side AFC Wimbledon at the La Nucia Football Center (kick off 6pm UK time) which is where Darren Ferguson’s team have been training all week.