REACTION: Peterborough United boss plays down a place at the top of the table, but hails ‘the best goal I’ve seen all season’

Second-half goals from Sammie Szmodics, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Taylor delivered a fifth win on the spin and top spot as previous leaders Lincoln City were held at home by lowly Swindon Town.

Ferguson played down the significance of reaching the summit with 17 games still to go, but he didn’t hold back when praising the goal scored by Clarke-Harris to make it 2-0.

“The second goal is as good a goal as I have seen all season,” Ferguson enthused. “The transition, the timing of the pass, the quality of the passing, the assist (and that is a pass) and Jonno’s finish, it was an outstanding goal.

“We were very good for a lot of the game tonight. Our shape looked solid and we pressed well. It was just a case in the first half, that we didn’t capitalise on the openings we had.

“They had one chance that Christy Pym beat away, but I thought we looked compact and I just said at half-time, there was nothing wrong with the performance, we just needed to up it, rather like Saturday against AFC Wimbledon.

“The boys were a bit frustrated in the dressing room at half-time, but I said to them, Plymouth are a good team, they have a very good home record and haven’t lost in nine games. Just go out there, make sure you keep a clean sheet and you will get chances.

“From the moment that Sammie scored, we were dominant.

“The third goal capped it off. It was a really good away performance. It is another 3-0 win in the second half and I can’t remember that happening in my career to be honest, to do that three games on the bounce.

“We said beforehand that if we can come to a team like Plymouth, who are good at home, on a Tuesday night and come away with three points, that would be a very notable result. We have done just that.

“It doesn’t matter that we are top of the league at the moment, although you would never turn that position down. We knew this would be a massive week. We have won two games away from home which is where we have struggled, either side of a win at home and we will now get some freshness into the players ahead of Saturday.

“We will regroup, it is a case of playing the matches, recovering and then playing the matches. We won’t get home till 3am, but winning can bring that mentality of freshness. We look forward to Saturday now.”

Posh host struggling Wigan on Saturday (February 27), although the Latics enjoyed a key win at the bottom tonight, 2-1 at Bristol Rovers in Joey Barton’s first game as Rovers manager.