Posh. I loath Peterborough United. Who can forget the ignomy of us failing to match their offers for Martin O’Connor, only for them to treble the peanuts they gave us for him a short time later?

Granted, they don’t have a lot going for them. Let’s face it, their most recognisable manager is the loathsome Barry Fry and their most well known supporter is the even more loathsome Adrian Durham, from Talk Sport. Tell me again, Adrian, how much higher were you going to finish than us the season before last? You know, the one when we were Divisional Champions? My God, they’ve even got Fergie’s nipper for a manager!

Jimmy Mullen’s choices for tomorrow will first of all be whether to bring back Rhys Weston, following his suspension. Weston was beginning to reach the heights he did last season before the sending off at Brighton, so I’d have thought it was odds on. Expect, in the continued absence of Clayton Ince, a defence of Gilmartin, Weston, Roberts, Gerrard, Boertien.

Ricketts and Iberhe pick themselves up front, so the other choices will surround the midfield combination. If Hughes is fit, Taundry, Mattis, Hughes and either Reich, Nicholls, Demontagnac or even Zaaboub seems to be the favoured option.

Peterborough Manager Darren Ferguson’s squad has been decimated by injuries and international call-ups. No fewer than eight players are unavailable for the clash while they are also sweating on the fitness on two others.

Missing will be Craig Morgan and Gabriel Zakuani due to international call-ups, but England under 21 goalkeeper Joe Lewis will be available.

Jamie Day (back), Shane Blackett (shoulder), Aaron Mclean (elbow), Dean Keates (knee), Chris Westwood (calf) and Sergio Torres (knee) are all expected to miss the match while Tom Williams missed training on Thursday due to a knock to his knee. Shaun Batt was back in training on Friday after nursing a sore shoulder following an aerial challenge against Dagenham and Redbridge on Tuesday evening.

In effect, they are missing virtually all of the first choice defence, plus a few others.
Ferguson said: ‘I will leave it late before finalising the starting XI because I have no idea at this stage who will be fit!’.

Predictions?

I don’t care that they have a rich sugar daddy, which has allowed them to have an overpaid and overblown squad, no team at this level can afford to be without over 50% of their starting eleven, including virtually the whole of their defence. They have good strikers, but anything other than a win, given the circumstances, wouldn’t be disappointing, it would be unacceptable.