Peterborough United's players have all of the credentials to secure a play-off position, according to boss Darren Ferguson

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson talks to his players during a break in play

Ferguson accused his side of lacking fight, character and desire in the big matches after Posh were beaten 3-0 by Ipswich.

That result saw Posh drop out of the play-offs, two points behind Derby and Bolton in sixth.

With time to reflect, however, he told the Peterborough Telegraph that he regretted much of what he said and that he has been delighted with the way the players have handled themselves since he returned for a fourth spell in charge in January.

He said: “I was probably too critical after the Ipswich game. The players have been fantastic in the short time I’ve been back.

"I’ve been so pleased with their consistency- yes we’ve had some blips- but in the main, I’ve been absolutely delighted with them and I just hope they can finish it off. We’ve taken 36 points from 20 games, it’s almost automatic promotion form.

"They’ve shown all of the credentials they need and I was wrong to say what I said but that was born out of frustration.

"I can’t speak highly enough of the way they’ve gone about it, they’ve always reacted to defeats and I’m very confident we’ll do that again on Saturday.

“The focus has to be getting the correct level of performance but it is a must-win game. We have to win our last two because of the situation we’re in but I’m confident I will get a reaction from Saturday.

"We now have to focus purely on the game and remind the players why we’re still in the fight; it’s because we’ve done so well.

"When we got beaten by Bolton, we were 15 points behind them and now we’re only two. We’ve gone some to get anywhere near it and you could have the top four all getting over 90 points for the first time ever, that’s how strong the league is.”

Posh now face what is effectively a must-win at home against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. Victory could take Posh back into the play-offs but anything less than a win could spell the end of the club’s season if results go against them.