Peterborough United’s key men: Which players do Posh miss the most when they are not in the team?

The recent run of bad Posh form co-incided with Jack Taylor’s absence from the team with a hamstring issue.

Taylor’s last appearance was a 2-1 win over Wigan which completed a perfect February of six wins.

Posh promptly won just one of the next six matches - a scrappy 1-0 home win over an out-of-sorts Portsmouth side - before the 7-0 thumping of Accrington last Saturday.

Taylor also missed the 2-0 defeat at Crewe in November because he was on international duty with Ireland. He also limped off at half-time at Shrewsbury in January with the score goalless and Posh went on to lose that match 2-0.

Taylor was absent from the 2-0 win at Northampton Town in September because he was again away with Ireland.

The full Posh record without Taylor in League One games this season is P9 W3 D2 L4 which confirms his importance to the side.

Taylor is expected to return to action at Fleetwood tomorrow (Friday).

Posh have three ever-present starters in League One this season in goalkeeper Christy Pym, skipper Mark Beevers and top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Centre-back Frankie Kent has missed one match - the defeat at Shrewsbury.

Posh are unbeaten when Sammie Szmodics hasn’t started (P4, W3 D1) and they have won four of five games without Siriki Dembele on the pitch from the start, although he came on as a substitute against Fleetwood and Gillingham to inspire come-from-behind victories.

Posh have only won one of five matches when Dan Butler hasn’t started.

Posh should pick Harrison Burrows and Idris Kanu more often. Burrows has started five League One matches and is yet to finish on the losing side (three wins, two draws). Kanu is also an unbeaten starter with three wins and three draws from six matches.

Defender Nathan Thompson has missed seven matches and only two were lost.