League One round-up: Joey Barton gives Bristol Rovers players ultimatum | Lincoln had Sunderland on the ropes | Peteborough boss fumes

Having led 2-0 at half-time, the Dale fought back in the second period and looked set to claim an unlikely three points following goals from Stephen Humphrys, Jake Beesley and Jimmy Keohane.

However, Peterborough earned a stoppage-time penalty which Jonson Clarke-Harris tucked home to spare the visitors' blushes.

Even despite staying second in the League One table, the late intervention wasn't enough to please Fergurson.

The manager branded the Posh's display the worst since their 2-0 loss at Pompey in December.

He told the Peterborough Telegraph: ‘The players need not think that was a point gained just because we scored a 93rd-minute equaliser. This was two points dropped and I’m annoyed, frustrated and angry. It’s a terrible result.

‘We were unrecognisable in the second half. We stopped doing the things we had been doing. It was the worst performance since we lost at Portsmouth in December and we cannot afford any more of them.

‘Our position in the table hasn’t changed which is good, but this was a great chance to make a psychological impression on our rivals by winning handsomely.'

Meanwhile, Michael Appleton thought Lincoln had Sunderland on the ropes as their crunch promotion battle ended a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.

Callum McFadzean opened the scoring for the Black Cats before Callum Morton netted a second-half equaliser for the visitors.

Appleton said: ‘I thought we were good first half and very good second half. All the big chances in the game were for us.

“Lee Burge, in goal, has had a bit of a worldie again to frustrate us. For us to show the courage we did in that second half after going down with one lapse of concentration, probably says something about the spirit we’ve got in the group.’

Sunderland boss Lee Johnson said: ‘I think it was a fair result. Obviously, they've had a couple of chances, Burgey has had to make a couple of saves, but I thought we probably shaded it in terms of the statistics - possession, dangerous attacks, etc - but at the same time they have got a real threat on the counter.

‘For us, we don't like losing leads so that was disappointing.’

Joey Barton told any player Bristol Rovers not up for the challenge of ‘climbing Everest’ in a bid to avoid relegation can walk away now.

The Gas lost 2-0 to Plymouth and sit one place outside the drop zone on goal difference.

Barton, who took over as boss from Paul Tisdale last month, insists Rovers can't afford any passengers in their survival bid.

He said: ‘We now go into a phase of 10 games when we’re fighting for our footballing lives,

‘We’re trying to climb Everest and those that can come with us, great, because the higher we go now, the altitude, the air gets thinner and if we’ve got any passengers, they’ll cause casualties along the way

‘We can’t have any passengers for these next 10 games, because if we have passengers, we’ll all die, we’ll all be killed. You can’t, with the challenge we’re trying to do, carry people.

‘I’ve asked them to go away and have a long, hard look at themselves, and decide on Monday whether they’re all-in or not.

‘If they’re all-in, great, we’ll get on with the job of summiting the mountain. If they’re not, they won’t be coming on the journey with us.'

Blackpool continue to creep into the play-off race after delivering a 2-0 win at Oxford.

The 10th-placed Seasiders are just two points behind Pompey in seventh – but have two games in hand.

Head coach Neil Critchley said: ‘I thought we were outstanding from the first minute to the last, we were as good as we’ve been this season.

‘What we’ve done today is put all facets of our game together, so our defensive organisation has been added to with some really good moments of football and two goals.

‘We gave a really good team lots of problems and the only criticism I could have is that we’ve not scored one or two more goals in the second half and put even more of a gloss on the victory.’

Other results

Accrington 3-1 Wigan, AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Charlton, Burton 1-2 MK Dons, Fleetwood 0-2 Swindon, Gillingham 2-2 Doncaster, Northampton 0-1 Crewe, Shrewsbury 1-1 Hull.