Peterborough United's domination of the weakest teams continued, but now it's time to beat a big beast, let star man leave and excellence as an Arsenal youth can mean very little

But it was a display that suggested Posh won’t give up on their play-off hopes just yet, no matter how often they are written off.

Posh started fast at Morecambe, enjoyed some luck and saw the game out professionally against poor opposition to rack up a 3-0 win on their first visit to the Mazuma Stadium.

But the difference in quality between the best and worst teams in League One this season is huge.

Posh’s dire record against the top sides is trotted out in statistical form on a regular basis, but they are also compiling an outstanding record against teams currently in the bottom seven.

Saturday’s 3-0 win at Morecambe was a 10th success in 11 outings against the strugglers – with a goal difference of +19 - with only a home draw with Burton Albion spoiling perfection.

That sort of form alone won’t win a play-off place as the best sides have been destroying the cannon fodder as well. There were big wins for Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town yesterday against teams in the bottom four.

The next Posh awayday is at table-topping Wednesday on March 4. The next home game is next Saturday (February 25) v second-placed Plymouth. It’s time for Posh to beat the beasts to really give their fans hope of a, still unlikely, late dash to the top six.

OTHER TALKING POINTS FROM MORECAMBE 0, POSH 3….

1) Fine margins often settle football matches. Whereas Jack Taylor’s superb early long shot was superbly tipped onto the crossbar by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch at 0-0 last week, his well-struck effort at Morecambe glanced off the head of home defender Ferrand Rawson and flew into the top corner to give Posh a 12th minute lead. If Posh had scored first against ultra-negative Fleetwood that game could well have turned out differently.

2) There is a growing acceptance among Posh fans that Taylor will be playing Championship football one way or another next season. Obviously he’d take some replacing, but, barring hamstring issues that took too long to sort, he’s given Posh terrific service for over three years now and if he wants to go the club shouldn’t stand in his way, especially as his value could well fund a promotion push next season. Taylor is 24, easily good enough for the second tier now, and still approaching his peak years, so a seven-figure fee should be comfortably achieved. He looked a class apart at times yesterday.

3) Deja vu at the Mazuma as home goalkeeper Connor Ripley fumbled a Joe Ward shot into the net. Ripley had let an equally tame Ward shot slip through his fingers in the early stages of the game at London Road between the teams which also finished 3-0 in Posh’s favour. Ward played right back yesterday to give Nathan Thompson a rest and it was a good move for a natural winger who nevertheless rarely goes past his man on the outside. Ward has more time to deliver crosses from deeper positions. The positional switch also enabled Kwame Poke to return to a wide position which looks a more natural fit for him. He has the skills and the speed off the mark to cut inside onto his left foot and shoot accurately as he proved with yesterday’s goal, although another handy deflection was required to take his shot home yesterday, the 21 year-old’s fifth of a most encouraging campaign.

4) Posh have played four away games in Darren Ferguson’s fourth spell in charge of the club and won three of them with clean sheets. They’ve conceded just one goal in those matches, although their struggles at defensive set-pieces at Morecambe will have been noted by more efficient teams. From three successive corners Morecambe hit the post, missed with a free header from eight yards and powered another header over the bar from even closer. Centre-back Josh Knight, in what was remarkably his first League One start since October 15, did well enough to keep his place, although stiffer tests are on the horizon.

5) Remember midfielder Dan Crowley, once the next big thing to come out of Arsenal? Here he was in the Morecambe midfield and showing only the odd flash of quality among plenty of poor moments. Crowley, who is still only 25, was once a transfer target of Posh, but the player lost interest after visiting the club’s training facilities. He presumably can’t afford to be so choosy these days.

6) Jeando Fuchs played his first 45 minutes in this Ferguson spell as a half-time substitute for Hector Kyprianou. Ferguson did rescue the 25 year-old from Scottish football 12 months ago so there must be some admiration there, although the imminent return to action of Oliver Norburn could mean the next battle between Fuchs and Kyprianou is for a place on the substitutes’ bench.