Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson sprang a few surprises ahead of the opening Coca-Cola Championship fixture at Derby County by naming Charlie Lee at right-back ahead of Russell Martin and handing the captaincy to Gabriel Zakuani.

Zakuani certainly has the attributes to be an excellent captain and enjoyed the extra responsibility that was handed to him by Ferguson, but admits that defeat at Pride Park was a bitter disappointment to both him and his team-mates.

'It was a great honour to be named captain and it was definitely a proud moment. I feel myself that I have the right attributes to be a good captain, but time will tell if I get the chance to do it again. I look at myself and think that I am one of the more experienced members of the squad and I have to take that responsibility seriously.

'I have played at Championship level before and there isn't much difference between then and now to be honest. You know what to expect and you realise that there a lot of quality players at this level. We found that at Derby, particularly in the opening 20 minutes or so, but after that, I felt we were the better side.

'We created quite a few chances in front of goal and we have to make sure that we take those opportunities. Defensively, it was very disappointing to concede two goals from set-pieces because those situations are something you can influence, it is just about concentration. We need to improve in that area certainly.

'We are disappointed to lose the opening game, but there is a very long way to go and we will pick ourselves up and go again. The players know what to expect now and we are looking forward to the challenge,' Zakuani said.