Peterborough United have made light work of a heavy and tough schedule, but recent history tells us getting carried away in August would be foolish

​It looked a horrible start for a new, young team with three games against likely big hitters followed by a local derby and then two more matches against probable promotion contenders.

A home game with pre-season title favourites Derby County and a trip to a revamped Portsmouth follow this weekend’s visit to Sixfields. Unusually four of the first six League One games for Posh will be played away adding further fuel to conspiracy theories re the EFL and the club.

And yet halfway through that programme, Posh are second in the table with a maximum nine points in the bank. The two other teams with perfect records Bolton Wanderers and Stevenage, have yet to play anyone of note, compared to those Posh have faced.

Posh were supposed to improve as this season went on. If they improve on the football they delivered during a 3-1 win at Barnsley on Tuesday they will enjoy a prosperous campaign.

There's a long way to go though.

TALKING POINTS FROM BARNSLEY….

1) Posh have enjoyed awesome Augusts before without going on to achieve anything. Grant McCann’s 2017-18 side won all of their matches in the first month of season, one that ended with a handsome 4-1 win at Northampton. He was sacked the following February and Posh went on to finish ninth.

The following season, under the management of Steve Evans, Posh won all five August matches culminating in a 5-1 victory at Plymouth Argyle. Evans was sacked the following January and Posh went onto finish seventh.

It's therefore best not to count any chickens especially with the possibility of two key men from last night – Ronnie Edwards and Jonson Clarke-Harris – leaving the club in the next fortnight.

2) We should all enjoy what we have witnessed so far though and the Barnsley performance was far superior to the levels Posh achieved in grinding out 1-0 wins over Charlton Athletic and Reading. They were worthy successes because organised defence and collective grit are essential components for all teams with promotion pretensions, but the sheer quality of football on show at Oakwell was a testament to the work of the club talent spotters as well as the coaching staff. It was the composure shown after falling behind to an avoidable goal that was most eye-catching. Posh kept passing and probing with great patience against a team that played on the retreat and the first two goals were superbly crafted. It’s the first time Posh have won a game after falling behind since Ferguson returned to the club in January.

3) There was a flurry of comments from protective fans after I used the phrase ‘goalkeeper howler’ when Posh conceded last night. The apparent deflection off Ronnie Edwards was hard to spot live, but the shot should still have been saved, something Posh manager Darren Ferguson also suggested after the match. Nicholas Bilokapic had dropped the ball into his own net a couple of minutes earlier before an assistant referee’s flag came to his rescue to confirm we should all remember how young and inexperienced he is. Bilokapic does look a cut above any ‘keeper who played for Posh last season and the 20 year-old has made some crucial saves, while also showing nimble skills with the ball at his feet, but he will make mistakes.

4) It’s perhaps no great surprise Posh have a terrific recent record at Oakwell. Last night’s win was a third in a row at a venue that offers a flat playing surface and great width, two vital ingredients for an enterprising Posh performance. They won’t get either on Saturday against a Cobblers team who have apparently played better than their early-season results suggest, but the management team also appear to be on top of their game so a well-prepared team with an effective gameplan should on duty at Sixfields.

5) The quality of the Posh crossing last night was as good as I can remember in recent seasons. Kwame Poku, Ephron Mason-Clark and Joel Randall all whippes balls in that should have been converted. Peter Kioso’s cut-back for Hector Kyprianou’s goal showed vision as well as accuracy. Kyprianou’s rapid improvement since a change of manager has been startling to see. He hadn’t scored a single Football League goal when he pitched up from Leyton Orient and he now has five, two in the last two games. He looks like a natural finisher among his many other obvious qualities.

6) Only one yellow card and nine added minutes at Oakwell last night proving what will happen if players concentrate on their skills rather than the dark arts. Referee Anthony Backhouse was excellent and proved effective when a Barnsley team under the cosh threatened to start time-wasting without brandishing any cards.