Ferguson Seeks to Avoid ‘Overcooking’ Cambridge Derby Significance

Darren Ferguson, who led Peterborough to the EFL Trophy last season, marking his second victory in the competition with the club, has stated his intention to avoid “overcooking” the importance of Saturday’s local derby against Cambridge United for his squad. The League One rivals are scheduled to face each other for the first time this season at the Western Homes Stadium. Peterborough, known as Posh, have emerged victorious in their three most recent matches against Cambridge. The equivalent fixture from approximately a year ago resulted in Posh defeating Cambridge 5-0, a scoreline that represented their largest ever win. Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Ferguson commented on that past performance, stating, “We were outstanding.” He further added, “It was a convincing victory but it’s something that won’t even be mentioned now. It’s gone and forgotten about.” Peterborough enters the upcoming game positioned 13th in the league. Ferguson acknowledged last week that his team currently needs to focus on outscoring their adversaries due to their tendency to concede an excessive number of goals. However, this strategy might prove challenging against Cambridge, a team that has secured victories in their last five matches across all competitions, remarkably without allowing a single goal in return. Their most recent three wins were all decided by a 1-0 scoreline. Ferguson elaborated on his approach, stating, “In the build-up you treat it as a normal game, in the sense of your preparation but obviously when you get to Saturday, and the lads go to warm up, they’ll have an understanding of how important it is to the fans. Because it isn’t just a normal game for them – it’s a derby – but for the players you don’t want to build it up too much because you want to make sure you don’t overcook it.” Last season, Peterborough secured a double victory over Cambridge, a feat Posh had only accomplished once before, specifically in 1972. Following a challenging start to the season where they lost 11 of their initial 12 matches, Cambridge, also known as the U’s, have experienced a resurgence under Garry Monk, enabling them to climb away from the bottom of the league standings. Ferguson expressed his understanding and sympathy for Monk during that arduous phase. Ferguson remarked, “As a manager you always go through a tricky spell and when it’s at the start of the season it’s always magnified.” He continued, “Garry’s an experienced manager. They’ve picked up and have changed slightly – certainly they are playing less-risk football. They’re very compact, very organised and are very hard to break down.” It is important to note that Garry Monk’s appointment at Cambridge occurred after both of last season’s two League One encounters had concluded. Monk, for his part, commented that current form often holds minimal weight in derby fixtures. Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Monk stated, “Derby games in general, I’ve managed quite a few and played in quite a few, they’re all different, quite individual games. As much as your preparation is the same for every game, there’s no denying that a derby game has a different feeling around it. It’s a derby I haven’t been involved in and a few of the boys in the changing room (haven’t), so we go there looking forward to it and trying to put our best on the pitch.” He further added: “Each and every game, there’s little tactical nuances you have to adapt to, each team is different. The principles, the effort we’ve been putting into our work, the intensity and focus, all the things that go with that, they don’t change – but there are little nuances which you have to be ready for.” Cambridge faces a setback as midfielder Paul Digby has been sidelined for “six to 10 weeks” due to a muscle strain. Conversely, striker Ryan Loft and Shayne Lavery are both approaching their return to play. Despite this, Monk conceded that Peterborough would be considered the favourites, citing the significant attacking threat they present. While Posh have secured only two victories in their last five league matches, they have recorded wins against Stevenage and Crystal Palace’s under-21 team in the EFL Trophy. These results bracketed a resilient 4-2 triumph over Newport County in the first round of the FA Cup. Monk further commented, “They spend a lot on talented players but obviously with the model of selling them for a profit and they’ve done exceptionally well at that over the years. We know their attacking threat is huge for this level.”