Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson says he has been keen not to “overcook” the significance of Saturday’s local derby against Cambridge United to his players.
The Cambridgeshire rivals meet for the first time this season in League One on Saturday at the Western Homes Stadium, with Posh having won the last three encounters.
Those came last term with Ferguson’s side doing the double over the U’s in the league and seeing them off in the EFL Trophy.
The weekend’s corresponding fixture almost a year ago saw Posh trounce Cambridge 5-0 in their biggest ever victory.
“We were outstanding,” Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
“It was a convincing victory but it’s something that won’t even be mentioned now. It’s gone and forgotten about.
“I’m sure the fans will remember it, maybe better than us, and use it as motivation. But we just have to prepare for this one.”
Peterborough go into the match in 13th place having won two of their last five league games.
But their form in cup competitions has been good – beating Stevenage and Crystal Palace’s under-21 side in the EFL Trophy, either side of a gutsy 4-2 win at Newport County in the first round of the FA Cup.
Ferguson said his message to his squad in ahead of the derby has been along the lines of “business as usual”.
“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,” Ferguson said.
“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.
“The game takes care of itself – the players are fully aware of what it means. For us we want three points and a win in the derby.”
Peterborough’s double over Cambridge was only the second time the Posh had achieved the feat, and the first time since 1972.
Ferguson said his side have to “make sure we take the game to them” and added the U’s will “go into it with a lot more confidence than they would’ve done last month”.
That is down to Cambridge’s impressive recent form.
After losing 11 of their first 12 games of the season, the U’s have stormed back to life under Garry Monk, stringing together five wins in a row, including their last three in League One to move off the bottom of the table.
Ferguson said he had sympathy with Monk during that difficult start.
“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 said.
“I feel when you get a new team, players and way of playing it takes time and you’ve got to give him that time.
“Gary’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.
“We know where we need to improve. Sometimes the best form of defence is attack and I think that’s where we’re at.”
