Peterborough United forward Kwame Poku set to be fresh for visit of Cheltenham after rest against Shrewsbury

Poku was a surprise absentee from the squad as Posh secured a late 2-1 win to move above the Shrews and into eighth place in League One, seven points off the play-off places with a game in hand.

The 21-year-old was left was replaced on the bench by Joel Randall, who was back on the bench for the first time in three matches but he remained unused.

Ferguson revealed after the game that Poku was left out for tactical reasons to give him a complete rest before Posh host Cheltenham on Saturday.

He said: “Poku was left out to give him a complete rest. I didn’t want him to be on the bench because he was very fatigued. For a young boy to play nine games on the bounce is hard, he’ll now be fresh for Saturday.

“He was still giving a good level of performance but I've got to appreciate the importance of keeping a level of quality and freshness in the squad. Coming out completely is good for him.

“In the same way, the break of Josh Knight coming into the team has done Frankie Kent good, sometimes you can just mentally have a breather. People like Frankie have a lot of expectations having won promotion here before and I’ve got to manage my squad. I just need to be careful because we are running out of games.”