Peterborough United turn on the style to claim a dramatic late, but deserved, win at Derby County

Posh, who have known only misery on their recent trips to Pride Park, looked like losing to promotion rivals Derby County as they still trailed 2-1 with just six minutes to go.

That would have been a travesty of a scoreline for a team who had played the superior football all afternoon, but a header from Kwame Poku, (yes really) and a 94th minute winner from Ricky-Jade Jones sparked fantastic celebrations in the technical area and among the travelling support who had backed their boys all afternoon.

The 3-2 result was a reward for positivity and determination, as well as the high skill level of Daren Ferguson’s side who also recovered from conceding a goal in the first 30 seconds of the game.

Posh were level on nine minutes courtesy of Harrison Burrows and looked the likeliest winners until conceding unnecessarily on the hour mark.

First-choice Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic failed his late fitness test which meant a huge day for Talley, a full Football League debut in front of almost 30,000 fans.

Otherwise the starting line-up which carried Posh through most of a successful December was back in place with Poku, Hector Kyprianou and Jones all returning. Jones was likely to have been selected even if injury hadn’t kept Friday’s two-goal hero Jonson Clarke-Harris out of the squad altogether.

Posh fancied they would require speed as well as quality to enable the highest scorers in the division to test the second best defence.

Derby picked the same team for the third game running. They’d won eight of nine unbeaten games going into this game against a Posh team with just one defeat in 18 League One games.

Former Posh winger Nathaniel Mandez-Laing started for the Rams with ex-London Road men Joe Ward and Callum Elder on the bench.

This was a battle between two managers with three League One promotions apiece and it was Paul Warne who got the first chance to celebrate, after a mere 27 seconds.

Burrows was guilty of giving the ball away with a careless chip into midfield and then he couldn’t stop Tom Barkhuizen crossing for James Collins to head home.

But the Posh response was impressive and their football fluid. Poku saw two shots blocked in quick succession before Ephron Mason-Clark worked the ball onto his right foot before firing over.

The leveller wasn’t long in coming though. A lovely pass forward from Peter Kioso found Poku running free down the right and he teed up Burrows to curl into the corner with the help of a defensive deflection.

Posh kept surging forward and found gaping holes in which to play. Mason-Clark missed badly after a strong run from Kyprianou and a neat pass by Joel Randall and within 60 seconds Jones poked a left foot shot wide after more good work from Poku.

Derby were quick to hold a tactical team-talk in a convenient break of play and they did stem the flow of Posh attacks for a while

Max Bird shot wide from the edge of the area and Collins headed straight at Talley after Barkhuizen again caused problems.

The home crowd became vocal and Posh were pinned back, but they assumed control again in the latter stages of the first-half.

Randall forced a fine save from home ‘keeper Joe Wildsmith and 60 seconds later Wildsmith had to turn a Ronnie Edwards drive over the bar.

Posh, who won the first-half corner count 6-0, were finding great joy with passes inside full-backs, but in added time Burrows, in particular, and Kioso wasted great positions with poor crosses.

Derby made three changes at the break with, rather surprisingly, Barkhuizen one of those to depart. They almost struck at the start of the second-half as well as Edwards was forced to block a Collins shot.

But Posh missed a great chance to go in front on 50 minutes. Poku did the hard yards down the right. His cross eventually found Mason-Cark at the far post. He teed up Randall who somehow managed to steer over the bar from eight yards.

Randall did better a minute later when escaping down the left. His cross looked destined to reach Poku, but substitute Elder charged across the area to make a terrific defensive block.

But just as Posh looked set to dominate they conceded a soft free kick and then a penalty as Kyprianou handled a cross that didn’t look particularly dangerous. He was pushed according to many watching at home though, although, as the penalty was awarded why he didn’t pick up a second yellow card was a surprise

Talley has a great reputation for saving penalties and he didn’t disappoint as he beat away Collins’ penalty. Unfortunately the ball went straight back to the centre forward who headed home.

There were still 30 minutes or so to go, plenty of time for this team to get back into the game. They didn’t threaten initially against a Derby team who became so scared they pulled 11 men behind the ball and delivered some desperate defensive blocks.

The equaliser arrived six minutes from time, rather out of the blue, as Poku somehow steered a long range header from a Burrows cross across Wildsmith into the net.

That led to a frantic finale with Derby winning their first corner in the 90th minute before Posh stormed back upfield to claim a dramatic winner.

Substitute David Ajiboye made inroads down the right. His cross was deflected up into the air, initially cleared and then returned by Poku’s head, with a Derby defender knocking the ball into Jones’ path for a simple winning goal.

It was a brilliant finish to the game for Posh who have only ever experienced late traumas at this venue which might explain the press box eruption of joy from some members of the visiting media.

Posh: Fynn Talley, Harrison Burrows, Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight, Peter Kioso (sub David Ajiboye, 77 mins), Hector Kyprianou, Archie Collins, Ephron Mason-Clark, Joel Randall (sub Ryan De Havilland, 90 + 1 min), Kwame Poku (sub Emmanuel Fernandez, (90 + 4 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones.

Unused subs: Jake West, Jadel Katongo, Jeando Fuchs, Jacob Wakeling.

Derby: Joe Wildsmith, Craig Forsyth (sub Callum Elder, 46 mins), Curtis Nelson, Eiran Cashin, Kane Wilson (sub Joe Ward, 72 mins), Ryan Nyambe, Max Bird, Conor Hourihane (sub Liam Thompson, 46 mins), Tom Barkhuizen (sub Louie Sibley, 46 mins), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (sub Tyreece John-Jules, 65 mins), James Collins

Unused subs: Josh Vickers, Sonny Bradley.

Goals: Posh – Burrows (9 mins). Poku (84 mins), Jones (90 + 4 mins).

Derby – Collins (1 min & 60 mins, pen).

Cautions: Posh – Kyprianou (foul).

Derby – Forsyth (foul)

Referee: Ross Joyce 8

Attendance: 29,917 (approx 1700 Posh).