Will Forrester hailed the impact of the home crowd as Wanderers secured a “hard-fought” point against Peterborough.

More than 21,000 supporters were in attendance at the Toughsheet Community Stadium as the club celebrated its latest Community Day event against Darren Ferguson’s side.

The booming atmosphere lifted the Whites in the second half as they battled to keep the visitors at bay after Gethin Jones’ red card.

“It was excellent from the start to the very end, especially when we went down to 10 men,” said Forrester.

“In the second half, they were non-stop and it really gives us that extra belief as players to continue fighting and grind out a result.

“Massive credit to them and hopefully we can give them things to shout about this season.”

It was the defender’s first league start for Wanderers, slotting into the middle of the back three with Ricardo Santos and Eoin Toal missing through injury and suspension respectively.

“In the end, it was a hard-fought point,” he continued. “It was disappointing with the red card, that changed the game massively.

“But in the second half, all the lads dug in and we ended up grinding out the point.

“It shows we have got that side to our game as well, which I think is important and will come in handy this season.”

The Whites switched to a back four after Jones’ dismissal, and Forrester was pleased with the resilience they showed in a challenging situation.

“It is always the same,” he explained. “Personally, I think it is harder to play against 10 men sometimes because naturally teams sit in and you have got to try to break them down, which can be difficult.

“From our point of view, it was massively important to defend the box well and I thought we did that.

“Obviously, (Jonson) Clarke-Harris is a big threat and I felt we dealt with him really well other than the one time with the goal.”

The young centre-back has shown promising signs since his move from Port Vale over the summer but has had to be patient for opportunities in the league.

Forrester admits that the prospect of filling in for Santos was daunting but is keen to keep getting minutes under his belt.

“I was delighted to be out there,” he stated. “With the injuries and suspensions, it creates opportunities for other players.

“Luckily, I got mine and I thank the gaffer and the staff for trusting me to play in the middle of the back three.

“It is a job that Rico does so well. It was always going to be difficult to follow in his footsteps but I am delighted I got the opportunity.

“Hopefully, there will be many more this season and I can grab them with both hands.”

Nathan Baxter made a couple of important stops against Posh, and Forrester is relishing playing in front of the former Chelsea goalkeeper.

“Nathan was really good again, I think he made some top saves,” he added. “He has made good saves since the start of the season which have kept us in games.

“He is always talking and especially with it being my first league start, he was helping me and so were the whole team.”