Peterborough United v Shrewsbury Town is on after two pitch inspections

Match referee Matt Corlett conducted an inspection at 11am which proved inconclusive, but passed the pitch fit at 1pm.

The playing surface has been covered all week, but overnight temperatures have been low in that time.

Posh want to return to winning ways at home to thank the club’s fans for their ‘outstanding’ support.

Posh officials were delighted to attract two crowds in excess of 10,000 for back-to-back Christmas fixtures against Reading and Barnsley, although both games were drawn 2-2.

Posh were also delighted with a 1,400 fans travelling to Charlton Athletic last weekend to watch a 2-1 win, even though there were travel issues on the railways and on the rain.

Posh, who were confident Saturday’s game at the Weston Homes Stadium would go ahead as long as the current Friday night weather forecast proved accurate, are second in League One ahead of the Shrewsbury game, but would overtake leaders Portsmouth if they better their result at rock-bottom Fleetwood.

"In my time at the club I can’t remember us getting back-to-back home gates of 10,000,” Posh boss Darren Ferguson said. “And then we got 1,400 supporting us in Charlton despite problems travelling to the game.

"It really is outstanding support and we will need it to continue. The fans really are important to us and I hope they are enjoying watching us play and watching a young team give everything in every minute of every game.

"We have dropped points in our last two home games so we need to get back to winning ways, although we will have to be good to beat Shrewsbury.

"We played them last month and nothing much will have changed. They are big, strong and physical. They will put balls into the box and they are good at set-pieces and long throws.

"They are the same things I said before the last game so nothing much has changed and we coped with it all pretty well then.

"We couldn’t get on the grass at the training ground yesterday when we normally do our tactical work so we pushed that back 48 hours. It was -6 on Wednesday night, but it’s not supposed to get below -1 on Friday night and it that’s the case we should be ok to play.

"The covers have been on all week apart from a couple of hours when the sun was out so the groundsman could roll the pitch.”

Posh will be without winger Kwame Poku so David Ajiboye is expected to start.

Poku out