Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson saluted his team’s character after they twice came from behind to snatch a dramatic 3-2 win at promotion rivals Derby.
Ferguson saw his side level late on and then take all three points with a stoppage-time winner from Ricky-Jade Jones.
Derby had made a sensational start to 2024 with Tom Barkhuizen crossing for James Collins to head in after only 22 seconds, but Peterborough hit back in the ninth minute when Harrison Burrows found the bottom left corner from 15 yards.
The speed and accuracy of Peterborough’s passing was a threat but they wasted chances with Joel Randall squandering the best of them when he fired over in the 50th minute.
That looked to be a pivotal moment when Derby regained the lead on the hour after Hector Kyprianou handled a free-kick and although Collins’ penalty was saved, he headed in the rebound.
But Posh managed to turn the game around with Kwame Poku heading in a Burrows cross in the 84th minute before Jones prodded the ball past Joe Wildsmith in the third minute of added time.
Ferguson said: “The character the boys have shown, it’s the key ingredient to being successful. If you haven’t got that you’ve got no chance and these lads have got it in abundance at the moment.
“You don’t expect to go 1-0 down after 20 seconds, that was such a bad start, but the calmness of the players was bang on, they stuck to the game plan.
“I thought we reacted and responded to going behind very very well, and toward the 50-minute mark I thought we should have been 2-1 or 3-1 up
“We played quick, we played small passes and made them run as much as possible and I thought we thoroughly deserved the win
“I’m so proud, so proud of the youngest team in the league and I think the youngest team throughout all the leagues squad-wise. You saw what they are about today, they are so together and don’t know when they’re beaten.”
Derby had won eight of their previous nine league games but head coach Paul Warne said: “I was pretty proud of the lads really, they gave everything they could physically.
“Peterborough’s front line was an absolute menace, I knew they’d be excellent and I know we took an early lead but then we didn’t touch it for about 10 minutes.
“It was end to end, a bit of a basketball match at times in the second half, we might have scored on the counter a couple of times and then to throw away a point that late on is obviously difficult to take.”
