Peterborough United manager's strong words of warning sparked a crucial victory over Derby County

Ferguson’s men equalled their best winning run of the season - three - with an impressive 2-0 victory over the Rams to force themselves right onto the edge of the play-off places.

Posh sit just one point outside of the top six and will definitely move into a play-off place with a win over struggling Oxford United at London Road next Saturday. Bolton and Derby are the teams just above Posh and the latter are in EFL Trophy Final action next weekend.

Posh come out firing in the second half after a first in which they had been dominated. Kwame Poku and Dan Butler replaced Harrison Burrows and Dan Butler at half time in the wingback formation Ferguson switched to after half an hour of Derby pressure.

The switches were rewarded with goals from Ephron Mason-Clark and Nathanael Ogbeta. It was the latter’s first goal for Posh.

“I had some choice words to say to them at half-time,” Ferguson said about the drab first-half. “And credit to the players as the ‘real us’ turned up in the second-half. It was a real night and day performance.

“We didn’t do any of the things we had worked on in the first half, but you can get that. I just said to them that we had to turn up and play how we want to play. We didn’t do that in the first half. They were so comfortable and I didn’t like it.

“We changed tactically to add a bit more balance to the team, but the biggest thing I said to them was, if you carry on playing like that and lose the game, you’re going to regret it, maybe for the rest of your careers. This was such a big game and we hadn’t turned up at that point.

“We changed shape to one we worked on all week in case we didn’t get control. We spoke about how aggressive they were and that they can really strangle you because they press well.

"So we spoke about how we could get the control back and that was going to a back three.

“If we’d have lost today with that performance, it would have been consistent with what’s gone before this season, giving a bit of hope to everyone and then flattening it with a performance like the first half.

“This was a different victory as it keeps the momentum. You have to credit the players for keeping a clean sheet in the first half as they didn’t really open us up despite their dominance.

“The significant thing was that we did not concede in the first half and that won us that game.”

Derby have another tough test at home to third-placed Ipswich next Saturday.