Posh are yet to win away from London Road in the league this season

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has said his side must aim to become more solid.

Posh, who travel to leaders Newcastle on Saturday, have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far this season.

Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "We've got to be harder to beat as a team, we've done a lot of work on that.

"We may have to play a slightly different way to achieve that but we'll continue to pass the ball and try and keep the ball."

Posh go to Newcastle on the back of last weekend's disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Barnsley and sitting second from bottom of the Championship table.

But Ferguson still believes his side's performances have been better than results suggest.

"We can take positives from a lot of performances this season," he said. "A lot of the games have been close and even at Blackburn I felt that until we had a man sent off we were the better team.

"There's been a lot of encouragement to take from certain games but the bottom line is we have got to start winning games.

"But it's a league where anyone can beat anyone, as was proved last week when Plymouth went to Middlesbrough for Gordon Strachan's first game and no one expected them to get a result but they went and won.

"We know that on our day we are capable of giving anyone a game, I've no doubt about that.

"Regardless of where we are in the league I know that if we're at it we'll give anyone in this league a game."

606: DEBATE Actually feeling reasonably confident. Think we'll get a point. Snatch an early lead, work hard all game and then sucker punched late on with another defensive error PoshinManchester

But, in looking to become more solid, Ferguson has hinted he may add extra muscle to his midfield by pairing Dean Keates and Toumani Diagouraga from the start for the first time.

"Away from home there's a possibility of playing the pair of them, so I wouldn't rule it out completely," he said.

"We've had a lot of success playing two midfielders holding in the centre over the past two seasons."

New signing Ryan Bennett is also pushing for a start at centre-back after impressing in training.

"I've been very impressed with Ryan, he's come straight into the squad and has done fine, so he's in contention," added Ferguson.

"But I haven't really got that many options at the back and I take training into account when I pick teams as well."

Meanwhile, striker Craig Mackail-Smith is again set to miss out with a hamstring problem.

"Craig is very doubtful for the match, but he's not definitely out and he has been training," Ferguson said.

Josh Simpson has been named in the Posh squad following his loan move from Histon and will hope to be handed a place on the bench.

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