Staying up or going down? Peterborough United are as safe now as Bristol Rovers were last season so the need to avoid complacency is obvious

Should Posh fans be worried about returning to League Two for the first time in 18 years? Or are Posh a mere handful of points from ensuring they play a fifth successive season at League One level in 2026-27?

We present both sides of the argument.

GOING DOWN

There is always a team that collapses late. Bristol Rovers were nine points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games to go last season. They didn’t win any of those 10 games and went down.

Mansfield Town lost 15 games between January 14 and April 27 last season to drop from ninth to 19th before arresting that slide in the nick of time. Posh haven’t won any of their last four games.

STAYING UP Posh are averaging 1.31 pts per League One game this season (46 points from 35 games). Maintain that average for the rest of the season and Posh reach 60 points. That would probably secure a top half finish. The average current League One position of the 11 teams Posh still have to face is 15th. Posh have leaders Cardiff City to play and fifth placed Stockport County. They visit 10th placed Luton on Good Friday, but the other eight opponents are currently placed between 14th and 24th with four of them sitting in the bottom five right now. Surely four wins won’t be beyond them? That alone would deliver a 58-point finish. Of the 11 remaining opponents, Posh have already beaten seven of them in the reverse fixture. Posh have also beaten Cardiff City at home in the FA Cup.

GOING DOWN If there are some funky results this Saturday and next Tuesday (March 10) the pressure on a young side will intensify. No-one knows if they will cope. The League One table is currently misleading because of the disparity in games played. That won’t the case by the end of this month.

STAYING UP It was only a month ago Posh scored six in a game against Wigan. It was only a fortnight ago Posh ran riot in the last half an hour of a game against Exeter City. They were the only two home matches Posh played in February. They’ve played four of the last five games on the road with a depleted squad and a makeshift back four. Six of the last Posh 10 matches will be played at London Road.

GOING DOWN

Posh remain an injury to Harry Leonard, Archie Collins or Alex Bass away from disaster. There is not a replacement of an adequate standard for any of them.

STAYING UP

Posh might have gambled in making no new signings in January, but soon the midfield will be bolstered by the return of midfielder Matt Garbett and Ben Woods, as well as defenders Harley Mills and Sam Hughes. As manager Luke Williams said, they will seem like new signings, ones we already know are good enough to make a positive impact on League One games.

GOING DOWN

The injury bulletins involving veteran centre-back Tom Lees are the most important. Posh will struggle to get away points with the current back four, as willing as they all are. Even a team as limited attack-wise as Cobblers should have beaten a Lees-less defence. David Okagbue was outstanding at centre-back up until his injury. He has not been the same since his return now he he does not have the steadying presence of Lees alongside him.

STAYING UP

Ignore the FA Cup heroics, Port Vale are as good as down, while Rotherham United have a ferocious-looking set of remaining fixtures and if, as local reports suggested, that was a relatively good display by Cobblers against Posh last weekend, then God help them. That just leaves one relegation spot to be determined and one team always collapses late. After looking at the remaining fixtures I fancy that will be Exeter City rather than Posh.