Ferguson: Posh are buoyant

Manager Darren Ferguson insists his Peterborough players are in 'buoyant' mood ahead of the start of the new Championship season.

Posh have been written off as relegation favourites by many pundits ahead of their return to the second tier, but Ferguson is talking up the atmosphere at London Road ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday. "I'm really looking forward to it and I know the players feel the same. Everyone is buoyant," Ferguson told the Peterborough Telegraph. "The summer has gone pretty quickly but it always starts to drag towards the end of pre-season. We just want to get on with the real business of being back in the Championship, and it's only a few days away now. "I'm told that Palace have sold a lot of tickets and I'm hoping we can get a crowd of 12,000 in for the game. We've not played at home all summer so hopefully everyone will turn out on Saturday." Posh failed to register a win until the eighth match of their last Championship campaign and Ferguson admits a sluggish start is something they can ill-afford to repeat. "We know it won't be easy against Palace by any means. It will be a very difficult game but hopefully we can get that first win on the board," said Ferguson. "It took us a long time to get a win the last time we were in this division and we are out to make a much better start this time."