Peterborough United talking points: Coming back from the dead, forwards springing into life, game-management skills, Fuchs v Norburn and the team Posh once beat four times in the same season

Posh were condemned after losing at home to Swansea in midweek and doomed further when Reading won on Saturday to stretch the gap between Grant McCann’s men and safety to 10 points.

Well it’s back to seven after yesterday’s terrific come-from-behind win at Posh’s favourite opponents Queens Park Rangers, although as there are only eight games to go and Reading’s run-in looks far more favourable than the one facing McCann’s side, Sky Bet’s odds of 1/50 (bet £50 quid to win a quid) on London Road having to endure relegation remains realistic.

Ah well, this Championship win - a first since December 11, 16 games ago - should still be savoured, especially by the near-800 fans who travelled to the capital, for the recovery from a shaky first-half to a dominant second-half performance and the sudden emergence of a lethal attacking partnership.

TALKING POINTS FROM QPR 1, POSH 3...

1) To be fair to previous manager Darren Ferguson his intention at the start of the season was to partner Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Marriott up front. The off-field issues of the former and injury to the latter made it nigh on impossible, but the pair have shown in recent matches what might have been had they been able to hit the ground running together. A double for Clarke-Harris at QPR and one stunner for Marriott means they have now scored seven goals between them in the last four games. Clearly Clarke-Harris needs to sit right up top and have someone playing in close attendance. He was a huge handful for three powerful centre-backs yesterday which made the tactical approach for 45 minutes against Swansea’s weak defensive unit even more unfathomable. The nine-goal tally of Clarke-Harris this season does include five penalties, but he looks a confident finisher right now. It’s not inconceivable he could finish with 15 goals which at this level in a struggling side would be a decent effort. Posh have sprung into life as an attacking force with seven goals in their last three matches and they have now scored in four successive Championship games for the first time this season.

2) It’s possible we saw some nous and game-management skills from manager Grant McCann in the latter stages yesterday when Clarke-Harris, who was struggling to run because of a dead leg after Posh had used all three substitutes, went down holding his head enabling his side to use a fourth sub under the concussion rules, just 60 seconds after holding a touchline conversation with his manager. It was either an act that Posh fans would have condemned if the opposition had tried it or a very fortunate and timely incident.

3) No matter what happens in the rest of this season, Posh need to find a left-footed centre-back in the summer, although Frankie Kent is doing a a fine job away from his natural side of the defence. Against Swansea for 90 minutes and against QPR for 45 minutes Posh employed three right-footed centre-backs and two right-footed wingbacks. Posh never convinced defensively in the first-half at Loftus Road with the home side missing a couple of great chances as well as hitting the woodwork twice. Bali Mumba had a horrible time at left wing-back for 45 minutes at QPR, but Posh looked far more comfortable when he was replaced by a natural left footer in Harrison Burrows, who was soon sweeping the ball out majestically to Joe Ward in the build-up to the second Posh goal.

4) And Ward promptly ran at QPR centre-back and forced a penalty. That’s what happens when a wide player who is quick and skilful takes players on. He can do it even at Championship level and he needs to be told just that on a regular basis.

5) a quick pre-game Twitter poll, once the team news had been made public, saw 79% of Posh fans (450 votes) say they preferred to see Jeando Fuchs selected ahead of skipper Oliver Norburn which wasn’t how manager McCann saw it. Norburn played pretty well though, while Fuchs was excellent when he joined the skipper for the last quarter of the match. They certainly shouldn’t start must-wins games (which is all of them now) together, although Jack Taylor was well short of his best yesterday.

6) ‘Can we play you every week’ was a predictable chant from Posh fans as they cruised to a third win of the season against promotion-chasing QPR. It’s not a record though as Posh once beat Swansea City four times in a season in Barry Fry’s days as manager. In the 1997-98 Third Division season Posh beat the Swans twice in league games (3-1, 1-0), as well as in the FA Cup (4-1) and in the EFL Trophy (1-0). Three of those games were away from home.