Talking points from Ipswich 0, Posh 1: ‘A winning goal the game deserved, honest endeavour can be as important as free-flowing football, undroppable players, the sad state of the Tractor Boys and could Posh go top on Tuesday?’

Over 20,000 fans probably left this fixture last season believing Peterborough United had an outstanding chance of promotion from League One. Posh were superb in beating promotion rivals Ipswich Town 4-1 on their own patch.

Of course there were no fans in Portman Road yesterday (January 23), but the wise old hacks in the press box weren’t convinced they saw promotion winners in action. They had blank notebooks and screens, and wore the worried look of men condemned to find 400 words on the whistle.

This was a contest high on effort and commitment, but low on quality and entertainment. The only goal of the game arrivd when Dan Butler’s inaccurate cross was sliced into his own net by Ipswich defender Mark McGuinness when he was under no pressure whatsovever just over 20 minutes from time.

Lord only knows what match home boss Paul ‘it was a really good game and we played well’ Lambert was watching.

Of course Posh won so they have the right to seek out the positives and honest endeavour, commitment and a strong team spirit can be just as important as free-flowing football over a course of 46 games. But they won this match without actually managing a shot on target (Ipswich only had one). The first-half effort from Siriki Dembele was going wide when Ipswich ‘keeper Tomas Holy turned it behind and Butler’s second-half free kick, from which Holy made a fumbling save, was surely a cross?

If Posh had lost this game, the naysayers would have had plenty to go at which sums up rather neatly the fickle nature of football fans.

OTHER TALKING POINTS...

1) Of course winning without playing well is a well-trodden cliche for promotion-winning sides and after two fine displays on heavy going Posh were always likely to be wearier than a side who hadn’t played since last Saturday. But Posh were still running hard after 90 minutes and they concentrated impressively at the back. They are necessities on the road, especially when those further forward are having an off day.

2) It’s tough to dislike Ipswich Town FC, the home of Sir Bobby Robson, a couple of Dutch midfield geniuses and Kevin Beattie so it’s quite sad to see them in such a sorry state. Even the likes of Tom Lawrence and Aaron Cresswell were being wistfully remembered in conversations before the game. The bookies made Posh the favourites to beat Ipswich pre-match and a look at the respective teamsheets justified that decision. Ipswich, like Sunderland, should really be much better than they are at third tier level, but the reality is their squads are pretty thin.

Ipswich, remember, were in the Championship two seasons ago. They won’t be returning any time soon without dramatic changes. It just shows how quickly a club’s fortunes can crumble.

3) Improving the away form in the second-half of the season is an absolute must for Posh so this result was a welcome start. It’s a first League One win on the road since the 2-0 win at Bristol Rovers on November 3. Those three points took Posh to the top of the table, but preceded a run of four defeats in five matches and a rapid slide. Form will fluctuate wildly because of the rat-a-tat nature of the fixtures this season and the need to change starting line-ups so Posh will need their current run to stretch a little further to gain a cushion for when the next inevitable dip comes.

4) Nathan Thompson’s performance in the middle of the back three at Portman Road emphasised why manager Darren Ferguson was so keen to bring him back into a winning side for the Charlton game. Thompson is clever and confident. He made difficult moments in tight spaces look easy. He is one who will be rested from time-to-time given his injury issues, but it’s tough to see Chisty Pym, Jack Taylor or Jonson Clarke-Harris being left out as they are way ahead of the squad players in their positions. Ferguson must hope for a 3-0 lead at half-time so he can get some rest into Clarke-Harris wo has started all 22 League One matches.

5) Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling have missed the target from the penalty spot this season so it can happen to the best of players. The Posh ‘Holy Trinity’ weren’t great from 12 yards either. Jonson Clarke-Harris doesn’t look the sort to worry about missing badly from the spot (at least it didn’t cost anything), but why he hit a penalty high towards a goalkeeper who is 6ft 9in tall is pretty baffling.

6) That was a statement 4-0 win for Hull City at Portsmouth yesterday and Grant McCann’s side appear to have emerged from a recent wobble in a strong place. They must be favourites to win the title just now.

But Hull have a tricky game at Accrington on Tuesday when second-placed Lincoln are Portsmouth. If Posh beat Rovers, which current form suggests they should do, Posh could find themselves in the automatic promotion places. Or top if the results are really friendly!