Peterborough United defender lifted by FA Cup tie against Manchester City, but it’s vital players keep their eye on the ball in the Championship matches before then

Posh will host the star-studded Premier League champions at the Weston Homes Stadium early in March, but they have six Championship fixtures before then including games against relegation rivals Cardiff City on Wednesday (away, February 9), Reading (home, February 16) and Derby County (away February 19). Posh also play Preston (home, February 12), Fulham (away, February 23) and Hull City (home, February 26) before tackling City in a match certain to be screened live on television.

“The City game is something for us to look forward to in what has been a difficult season for us,” Thompson said.”It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves against top-class players. The FA Cup tie will be a welcome distraction, but we know our priority is to win our relegation dogfight.

“We have some big games coming up against teams around us in the table. We are facing a huge couple of weeks and the next four or five games will be pivotal for our season.

“We will get a big lift if we can some big games before we play City. If we manage that we can at least go into the game against a ridiculously talented team with some confidence. I watched them play against my old club Swindon in the third round and they have scary ability and they take every competition they play in very seriously. They will field a very strong side against us.

“But it’s some light at the end of the tunnel. We get to showcase our talents. The exposure for our younger players will be fantastic, but we can’t get away from the fact we need to get some league points before then.

“We’ve had too many false dawns this season when we’ve followed up good results with poor performances. The training ground can be a depressing place when you are not winning games. We are a very good side on our day, but we have to find some consistency.”