Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
, England. The team compete in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
, the third tier of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. Peterborough have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
, with whom they contest the
Cambridgeshire derby. They have spent their entire history at
London Road and are nicknamed "The Posh".
Peterborough United formed in 1934 and joined the
Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
Th ...
. Having won the Midland League title for five consecutive seasons from 1955-56, they were elected into the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
in 1960. Peterborough immediately won the
Fourth Division title in 1960–61, scoring a
Football League record 134 goals. Relegated in 1968, they won another Fourth Division title in 1973–74, though suffered a further relegation in 1979. Peterborough were promoted back into the
Third Division at the end of the 1990–91 season and reached the second tier with victory in the
1992 play-off final. However they returned to the fourth tier with relegations in 1994 and 1997.
Peterborough won the Third Division play-offs in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
under the stewardship of
Barry Fry
Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...
, though were relegated in 2005. They secured a place in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
after manager
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
led them to consecutive promotions in 2007–08 and 2008–09 and spent three of the next four seasons in the second tier, winning a
play-off final in 2011 after relegation the previous year. They were relegated back into League One in 2013, though went on to win the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. In the
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season, Peterborough were promoted back to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, though were relegated back into
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
the following season.
History
1934–1990
Peterborough United formed in 1934 at Peterborough's Angel Hotel to provide a replacement for
Peterborough & Fletton United, who had folded two years previously.
Peterborough's application to join the
Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
Th ...
was welcomed by the league, however, the representatives from the club did not have the money to pay for the security deposit, entry fee and subscription.
Grantham Town loaned the money to The Posh who began selling shares to raise funds.
4,033 fans attended The Posh's first league match which ended in a 4–0 victory over Gainsborough Trinity.
William Rigby scored the team's first goal. They
won the Midland League on six occasions, including five seasons in a row from 1956 to 1960. The Posh were
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
to
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for the beginning of the
1960–61 season, winning
Division Four
The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...
.
Following the Fourth Division Championship success in 1960–61, The Posh spent seven seasons in the 3rd Division. They reached the quarter-finals of the
1964–65 FA Cup, beating
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Swansea Town along the way before going out to
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. They were relegated back to the 4th Division for financial irregularities in the summer of 1968. The club took six seasons to return to Division 3, winning the 4th Division championship.
In 1977–78 the club threatened to go one better until they narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 2 when they drew the last game of the season at champions
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
(0–0) when a win was needed to go up. The game was notable for the fact that over 2,000
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
fans travelled to Wrexham to watch the game and cheer on the home side – Preston were the club who went up because Peterborough did not win. The Wrexham defeat cast a long shadow over the club and it fell into a long decline. Relegation followed in 1979 and Posh subsequently spent 12 years back in the 4th division. The 1980s was a long story of mismanagement and false dawns, punctuated by the odd cup run. March 1984 marked the arrival of striker
Errington Kelly on loan;
after scoring seven goals in eleven appearances, he was made permanent,
and went on to have over 100 appearances for Peterborough over five seasons.
1991–2000
In January 1991,
Chris Turner, who had played in the 1974 Fourth division championship team took over as manager and the team embarked on a run of 13 unbeaten games that propelled them into the top four. Six players were signed on transfer deadline day, which at the time was a record for the number of players signed by one club on a single day. On the final day of the season, Posh travelled to
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
needing a win to seal promotion. Despite going two goals down in the first ten minutes, the team rallied and drew level with goals from David Robinson and
George Berry. However, Posh's closest rivals,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
lost at
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
and promotion was achieved.
![PeterboroughUnitedFC League Performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/PeterboroughUnitedFC_League_Performance.svg)
The following season arguably remains the most successful in the club's history. After an inconsistent start the team hit form during the autumn when they knocked
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
and
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
out of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. The reward was a home tie with a
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
team containing
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar (born 6 October 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most prominently for English team Liverpool between 1981 and 1994, and for the Zimbabwean national team. He is remembered fo ...
,
Jan Mølby
Jan Mølby (; born 4 July 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer and manager. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1982 to 1998. After starting his career with Kolding, he moved on to Ajax before spending twelve years playing in Engl ...
,
Steve McManaman
Steven McManaman (born 11 February 1972) is an English former footballer who played as a winger for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City. McManaman is one of the most decorated English footballers to have played for a club abroad and is ...
,
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
and
Mark Wright.
Garry Kimble
Garry Kimble (born 6 August 1966) is an English former professional Association football, footballer.
Career
Kimble, along with his twin brother Alan Kimble, Alan, started his career as a trainee at Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton Athletic wh ...
scored the only goal after 19 minutes prompting wild celebrations and a place in the quarter-finals. In the league, the team went from strength to strength and surged up the table.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
ended the League Cup run after a replay and there was further disappointment when the team missed out on a trip to Wembley in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
when they lost to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
over two legs in the area final.
Progress continued in the league and a play-off place was clinched on the last day of the season despite a 1–0 defeat to champions
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
. The following week,
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
came to
London Road for the first leg of the Semi-final. Captain Mick Halsall's last minute equaliser levelled the score at 2–2. Three days later, the supporters travelled north more in hope than expectation but they were rewarded when the team came from a goal down to win 2–1 with
Worrell Sterling
Worrell Ricardo Sterling (born 8 June 1965) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Sterling began his career as a trainee with Watford, before signing as a professional with them in 1983. He went on to play for Pe ...
and
Steve Cooper scoring the goals. On 24 May 1992, Peterborough United played at Wembley for the first time, against
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
in the Third Division playoff final. With Posh winning 2–1 and gaining promotion to the new First division. They played in
Football League Division One
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
between 1992 and 1994 and finished 10th, their highest ever league finish, in 1992–93 season.
[
]
2001–2010
During the 2005–06 season the club had three managers: Team owner Barry Fry
Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...
returned to management following former England international Mark Wright's sacking in January 2006. Wright's assistant Steve Bleasdale
Stephen Bleasdale (born 23 June 1959) is a former English football coach. He has managed Bangor City, Leigh Genesis and Football League side Peterborough United.
Bleasdale has often worked alongside former England footballer Mark Wright havi ...
was then appointed acting manager, but resigned in April. Keith Alexander joined as manager from Lincoln City for 2006–07 but was sacked in January 2007 after a run of poor form and was replaced by Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
. He led the club to back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship in his two full seasons in charge. By November 2009 Posh were bottom of the Championship and Ferguson left the club, to be replaced by Mark Cooper. In February 2010, after only 13 games in charge, Cooper also left the club and Jim Gannon
James Paul Gannon (born 7 September 1968) is a professional football manager and former player who most recently was manager of Hyde United. He started and finished his career as a player in Ireland, but made most of his professional appear ...
was appointed in his place. Following confirmation of relegation from the Championship after a 2–2 draw at Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, Gannon was replaced by Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
.
2011–present
Gary Johnson left the club on 10 January 2011 due to policy disagreement. Two days after Johnson's departure, Darren Ferguson returned to the club on a four and a half-year contract. Peterborough finally finished 4th in 2010-11 Football League One with one of the worst defensive records in the third tier, conceding 75 goals, but scoring 106; the most for anybody in the Football League that season. Peterborough beat Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
in the playoff semi-finals. They defeated Huddersfield Town in the Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
with a 3–0 victory, and gained promotion back to the Championship.
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
led the team to safety in its first season back in the Championship, leading to a finish in 18th. However, the Posh were relegated back the following season, after losing to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
3–2 on 4 May 2013, the final match of the season.
On 30 March 2014 The Posh won the Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
after defeating Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
in the final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
.
Darren Ferguson ended his time as Peterborough United manager on 21 February 2015, following a 3–0 defeat at Milton Keynes Dons.
On 1 May 2021 Peterborough were promoted back to the Championship after an 8-year stay in League One after coming back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 against rivals Lincoln City following a stoppage time penalty by Jonson Clarke-Harris.
On the 20th February 2022, Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
left Peterborough United for the third time, after offering his resignation to club co-owner Darragh Macanthony
Darragh MacAnthony (born 24 March 1976) is an Irish football chairman, author and entrepreneur.
Early life and education
MacAnthony, the son of Austin MacAnthony, a nightclub owner, MacAnthony was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin. He moved ...
. Ferguson left the club in the relegation zone of the Sky Bet Championship, five points from safety. Matthew Etherington
Matthew Etherington (born 14 August 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Crawley Town. As a player, Etherington played as a winger, most notably in the Premier League for ...
was placed in temporary charge of the club's upcoming games on Tuesday 22 February. It was announced that his former Posh and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
teammate Simon Davies would be assisting him.
On 23 April 2022, Peterborough were relegated back to the EFL League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
following a 1-0 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
. During the 2022-23 League One Season, Peterborough were for the first time in over 20 years sharing a division with local rivals in Cambridge United, with the home fixture ending with a 1-0 win for Peterborough.
Historic sexual abuse prosecutions
In December 2016, as the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal
A child sexual abuse scandal involving the abuse of young players at football clubs in the United Kingdom began in mid-November 2016. The revelations began when former professional footballers waived their rights to anonymity and talked publicly ab ...
expanded, it was revealed that alleged abuser Bob Higgins worked as a youth coach at Peterborough from May 1995 to April 1996. He was investigated as part of a 1997 Channel 4 ''Dispatches'' investigation, when he denied allegations of abuse, claiming he was a faith healer
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
and born again
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
Christian. On 5 July 2017, Higgins was charged with 65 counts of indecent assault. The offences were alleged to have taken place in the 1980s and 1990s and to have involved 23 alleged victims. A trial at Salisbury Crown Court started on 29 May 2018, with Higgins, 65, denying 50 counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1996 in relation to 24 boys. On 23 July, Higgins was found guilty of one charge of indecent assault, and not guilty of another count of the same offence, while the jury failed to reach verdicts on 48 other counts of the same charge. A retrial, on 51 counts of indecent assault, started on 26 March 2019 at Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
Crown Court, and on 23 May 2019, Higgins was found guilty of 45 charges of indecent assault against teenage boys, not guilty of five counts of indecent assault, with the jury unable to reach a verdict on one final count. On 12 June 2019, Higgins was sentenced to 24 years and three months in prison.
On 27 January 2017, it was reported that a second former Peterborough coach had been arrested; Michael Sean ‘Kit’ Carson, 73, academy director at Peterborough from 1993 to 2001 (overlapping with Bob Higgins for almost a year) was held in Cambridge on suspicion of indecency with children and indecent assault. On 2 March 2018 it was announced that Carson had been charged with 11 counts of indecent assault and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The alleged offences all involved boys under 16, and were said to have occurred from 1978 to 2009. He appeared at Cambridge magistrates' court on 17 April, pleading not guilty to the 12 charges, then appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on 15 May 2018 when he was released on bail. Carson, 75, was killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree near Bottisham
Bottisham is a village and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about east of Cambridge, halfway to Newmarket. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,983, including Chittering, increasing ...
in Cambridgeshire on 7 January 2019, the day his trial was due to start at Peterborough Crown Court; no other vehicle was involved. An inquest into his death was opened on 22 January, when it was confirmed Carson died from a traumatic brain injury. Pending further investigations, the inquest was adjourned. In September 2019, an inquest concluded Carson had taken his own life.
Colours and kits
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
Nickname
Peterborough United are nicknamed "The Posh", a moniker coined in 1921, after Pat Tirrell, manager of Fletton United, was reported to say he was "Looking for posh players for a posh new team". When Fletton United looked to join the Southern League in 1923 they added Peterborough to their name to form Peterborough & Fletton United, in an attempt to gain the backing of businesses in Peterborough. Peterborough & Fletton United went bankrupt in October 1932 so the current club is the third to be known as The Posh. However, the term "posh" was used as a derogatory term for the club by the press.
Peterborough & Fletton United were also commonly called "the brickies" in reference to the large brick industry in Peterborough, however the nickname was dropped when the club went bankrupt.
In 2002 Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...
filed a counter-claim with the UK Patent Office
The Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (often referred to as the UK IPO) is, since 2 April 2007, the operating name of The Patent Office. It is the official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK ...
over the club's application to register their nickname of "Posh" for use on merchandise. The former Spice Girl, who was known in the group as "Posh Spice", claimed the "nickname 'Posh' has become synonymous with her on a worldwide basis". She was unsuccessful in her suit.
Stadium
Since their formation Peterborough United have played their home games at London Road. The stand behind the London Road End is terraced while the Moy's End, is a rebuilt all-seater stand, and now known as the DESKGO Stand. A 20,000 all-seater stadium to replace London Road has been proposed.
The record attendance at the stadium is 30,096, achieved on 20 February 1965 in an FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fifth-round game against Swansea Town.
The ground was renamed as the ''ABAX Stadium'' in November 2014 as part of a five-year sponsorship deal with Norwegian company ''ABAX''. The first game at the renamed ground was against Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, which City won 3–0. In June 2019, the ground was renamed the "Weston Homes Stadium" as a ten-year sponsorship deal, the largest in the club's history, between the football club and the British property developer company.
Rivals
According to the Football Fans Census
Football Fans Census (sometimes known as FFC), is the trading name of Football Fans Central Ltd, a small market research company which specialises in research into the views and opinions of English football supporters.
When the free-to-air dig ...
, Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
were considered to be the club's main rival. The Cambridge rivalry has been fought very evenly over the years; Peterborough winning 17 and Cambridge 15, with Peterborough netting 54
times and Cambridge 52 in the 38 competitive matches they have played each other. However, the two sides did not meet each other between 2001 and 2017 when they faced each other in the Checkatrade Trophy, a game which Peterborough won 2–0. They next met in the league on 29 October 2022. A game which Peterborough won 1–0.
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
are the club's traditional rival, dating back to when both sides were lower league, and as the city of Peterborough is historically part of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
.
More recently, Peterborough fans have begun to view the MK Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
as rivals, partly due to the geographic location, but also due to battling with the MK Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
for promotion from League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
and League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
in Darren Ferguson's first two full seasons.
Ever since 1992 there has also been animosity between Peterborough United and Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
, with Chris Turner's Peterborough progressing to the final and later on winning the playoffs in the 1991-92 Football League Third Division, they progressed past Huddersfield winning 4–3 on aggregate in the playoff semi finals. This rivalry further grew in 2011 with Peterborough winning against Huddersfield in the 2010–11 League One Playoff Final 3–0, and in the 2012–13 Championship season Huddersfield relegated Peterborough from the championship on the last day of the season with them drawing 2–2 with Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, and with Peterborough losing 3–2 against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, Huddersfield's draw with Barnsley, with both sides willing to see the game out as a draw, caused the latter to leapfrog Peterborough and send them down to League One. This rivalry is set to be played again in the 2021-22 Championship season.
Many fans consider Peterborough to be a part of the Pride of Anglia
Various English association football clubs located in East Anglia vie for being the Pride of Anglia, an unofficial title celebrated by fans of the clubs involved. These clubs include Cambridge United, Colchester United, Ipswich Town, Norwich City ...
derby, contested between the professional clubs based in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and sometimes Essex. Matches against these teams often draw large crowds with Posh's highest home attendance of the 2019-20 season coming against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
with 10,071 fans. For the return fixture, Peterborough sold out their initial 1,900 ticket allocation.
Peterborough also have shown a certain enmity towards Lincoln City. This rivalry grew as on 1 May 2021, Peterborough United came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 meaning they secured automatic promotion to the Championship, denying Lincoln a chance at 2nd and forcing the Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
club to settle for a play-off place.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Notable former players
''For a list of notable Peterborough United players in sortable-table format see List of Peterborough United F.C. players.''
Club officials
Boardroom
* Chairman: Darragh MacAnthony
Darragh MacAnthony (born 24 March 1976) is an Irish football chairman, author and entrepreneur.
Early life and education
MacAnthony, the son of Austin MacAnthony, a nightclub owner, MacAnthony was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin. He moved ...
* Interim Chief Executive Officer: Leighton Mitchell
* Director of Football: Barry Fry
Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...
* Directors: Randy Stewart Thompson, Dr Jason Neale & Leighton Mitchell
First Team
* First Team Manager: Grant McCann
Grant Samuel McCann (born 14 April 1980) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder in the Football League. He was most recently the manager of EFL League One club Peterborough United.
Born in ...
* Assistant Manager: Cliff Byrne
* First Team Coach : Dale Tonge
* Goalkeeping Coach: Mark Tyler
* Head of Sports Science: Lewis Keeble
* Physio: Steve Hockham
* Kit Manager: Christian Sansam
* Club Doctor: Dr Cosmas C.P Nnochiri
Youth Team
* Interim Under 23s Manager: Ryan Semple
* Interim Under 23s Assistant Manager: Danny Walker
* Under 18s Manager: Jamal Campbell-Ryce
Jamal Julian Campbell-Ryce (born 6 April 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger. He is currently with Peterborough United as Manager of the U18s.
Born in Lambeth, Greater London he began his career with Charlton Ath ...
* Youth Lead Phase Coach: Ryan Semple
* Head of Player Care: Michael Harriman
* Academy Manager: Kieran Scarff
Managers
''As of 24 May 2022. Only competitive matches are counted. Periods as caretaker manager are shown in italics''
Honours
* Football League 3rd Tier (Currently Football League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
):
**Runners up: 2008–09, 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
**Play-off Winners: 1991–92, 2010–11
* Football League 4th Tier (Currently Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
):
**Winners: 1960–61, 1973–74
**Runners-up: 1990–91, 2007–08
**Play-off Winners: 1999–2000
* Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
Th ...
**Winners: 1939–40, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60
**Runners up: 1953–54
* FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
**Best result: Quarter Final – 1964–65
* Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
**Best result: Semi-final – 1965–66
* Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
**Winners : 2013–14
Records
Individual records
Most League Appearances:
Tommy Robson
Thomas Henry Robson (31 July 1944 – 8 October 2020) was an English footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League playing as a left winger.
Life and career
Robson was born in Gateshead. He played for Newcastle United ...
– 482 (440 starts and 42 as a substitute): 1968–1981[
Most Consecutive Appearances:
Eric Steele – 148 (124 League, 24 Cup):][ 1973–1977
Most League Goals:
Jim Hall – 122 1967–75
Most League Goals (incl. Non-League):
Dennis Emery—195: 1954-1963
Most League goals in one season:
]Terry Bly
Terence Geoffrey Bly (22 October 1935 – 24 September 2009) was an English football striker.
Career
He was renowned for his goalscoring prowess, most notably for Norwich City and Peterborough United, scoring a record 54 goals in the latter' ...
– 52 : 1960–1961 (also an all-time Fourth Division record)[
]
Record transfers
Highest Transfer Fee Received- a fee around £7m (rising to £10m) from Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
for Ivan Toney, August 2020
Highest Transfer Fee Paid – A fee exceeding £1.25m to Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
for Mo Eisa, June 2019
References
External links
*
Official Forum
Largest Supporter Forum
*
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070205233152/http://www.uptheposh.com/ UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Databasebr>Un-Official Posh Fans Podcast
Peterborough United Supporters FC (PUSFC)
Vital Posh – By the fans, for the fans!
{{Authority control
English Football League clubs
EFL Championship clubs
Association football clubs established in 1934
1934 establishments in England
Football clubs in Cambridgeshire
Football clubs in England
EFL Trophy winners