Peterborough United F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Peterborough United

Full name	Peterborough United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Posh
Founded	1934; 91 years ago (1934)
Ground	London Road
Ground Capacity	15,314
Owner	Darragh MacAnthony (75%), Kelgary Sports & Entertainment (20%), IRC Investments Limited (5%)
Chairman	Darragh MacAnthony
Manager	Darren Ferguson
League	League One
2018–19	League One, 7th of 24
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Peterborough United Football Club is a professional football team from Peterborough, England. They are often called "The Posh." The team plays in League One, which is the third highest league in English football. Their home stadium is London Road.

The club started in 1934. They joined the Midland League and won it five times in a row! In 1960, they joined the main Football League. They quickly won the Fourth Division title in 1960–61. They even scored a record 134 goals that season!

Over the years, Peterborough United has moved between different leagues. They won the Fourth Division again in 1973–74. They also reached the second-highest league in 1992 after winning a special play-off game. More recently, they earned back-to-back promotions in 2007–08 and 2008–09, reaching the Championship (the second tier). They won the Football League Trophy in 2014 and again in 2024.

Peterborough United has strong rivalries with other local teams. These include Cambridge United and Northampton Town.

Club History

Early Years (1934–1990)

Peterborough United was formed in 1934. It replaced an older team called Peterborough & Fletton United. The new club joined the Midland League. They needed money to join, and another team, Grantham Town, helped them out with a loan.

The Posh played their first league match and won 4–0! They became champions of the Midland League six times. Five of these wins were in a row from 1956 to 1960. Because of their success, they were chosen to join The Football League in 1960. They immediately won the Fourth Division title in their first season, 1960–61.

After this, The Posh spent seven seasons in the Third Division. They even reached the quarter-finals of the 1964–65 FA Cup in 1965. They beat big teams like Arsenal before losing to Chelsea. In 1968, they were moved back to the Fourth Division. It took them six seasons to get back to Division Three.

In 1977–78, they almost got promoted to Division Two. But they needed a win in their last game and only drew. This led to a difficult period for the club. They were relegated again in 1979 and spent 12 years back in the Fourth Division.

Success and Challenges (1991–2010)

In January 1991, Chris Turner became the manager. The team then went on a great run of 13 games without losing. This helped them get into the top four. On the last day of the season, they needed a win to get promoted. They managed to draw, and because a rival team lost, Peterborough United was promoted!

Chart of table positions for Peterborough since joining the Football League.

The next season, 1991–92, was one of the club's best. They knocked Wimbledon and Newcastle United out of the League Cup. They even beat Liverpool 1–0 to reach the quarter-finals! In the league, they kept getting better. They made it to the play-offs.

On May 24, 1992, Peterborough United played at Wembley Stadium for the first time. They won the Third Division play-off final against Stockport County 2–1. This meant they were promoted to the new First Division. In the 1992–93 season, they finished 10th, which is their highest ever league finish.

The club had a tough time in the mid-2000s. They had three different managers in the 2005–06 season. But then, Darren Ferguson became manager in 2007. He led the club to two promotions in a row! They went from League Two all the way to the Championship. Ferguson left in 2009, and the club was relegated in 2010.

Recent Years (2011–Present)

Peterborough United fans at Old Trafford in 2011

Darren Ferguson returned as manager in January 2011. In the 2010–11 season, Peterborough finished 4th in League One. They scored 106 goals, which was the most in the Football League that season! They won their play-off semi-final and then beat Huddersfield Town 3–0 in the final. This sent them back to the Championship.

They stayed in the Championship for one season, finishing 18th. But they were relegated back to League One in 2013. On March 30, 2014, The Posh won the Football League Trophy! They beat Chesterfield in the final at Wembley Stadium. Darren Ferguson left the club again in 2015.

On May 1, 2021, Peterborough was promoted back to the Championship. They had an amazing comeback, drawing 3–3 with Lincoln City after being 3–0 down. This secured their promotion. However, they were relegated back to League One the very next season.

In the 2022–23 season, they reached the League One play-offs but lost in the semi-finals. In 2024, Peterborough won the EFL Trophy for the second time. They beat Wycombe Wanderers 2–1 in the final.

Team Colors and Kits

Peterborough United has worn different kits over the years. Their kits are made by various sports companies, and they have had different sponsors on their shirts.

Team Nickname

Peterborough United is known as "The Posh." This nickname started in 1921. The manager of an older team, Fletton United, said he was "Looking for posh players for a posh new team." "Posh" means fancy or high-class.

An old pub near the stadium was even renamed "Port Out Starboard Home (POSH)" in the 1970s. In 2002, a famous singer, Victoria Beckham (who was known as "Posh Spice"), tried to stop the club from using the name "Posh" on merchandise. But she was not successful.

Stadium

Peterborough United has always played their home games at London Road. The stadium has different sections, including the London Road End and the Moy's End (now called the GH Display Stand). There have been talks about building a new, larger stadium in the future.

The most people who have ever watched a game at London Road was 30,096. This happened on February 20, 1965, during an FA Cup game against Swansea Town.

The stadium's name has changed due to sponsorship deals. It was called the ABAX Stadium from 2014 to 2019. Since June 2019, it has been known as the "Weston Homes Stadium." This is the biggest sponsorship deal in the club's history.

Team Rivalries

Peterborough United has several strong rivalries with other football clubs.

Cambridge United

Cambridge United is considered Peterborough's main rival. Their games are called the Cambridgeshire derby. Peterborough has won more of these matches over the years. The two teams did not play each other for a long time, from 2001 to 2017. They met again in 2022 and 2023, with Peterborough winning both times. In November 2023, Peterborough won 5–0, which was a record-breaking victory against Cambridge.

Northampton Town

Northampton Town is another traditional rival. This rivalry goes back to when both teams were in lower leagues. The city of Peterborough was historically part of Northamptonshire. Their games are known as the Nene derby, named after the river that flows through both towns.

MK Dons

More recently, fans see the MK Dons as rivals. This is partly because they are geographically close. Also, Peterborough and MK Dons have often competed for promotion from League Two and League One.

Huddersfield Town

There has been a rivalry with Huddersfield Town since 1992. Peterborough beat Huddersfield in the play-off semi-finals that year. The rivalry grew stronger in 2011 when Peterborough beat Huddersfield 3–0 in the League One play-off final. In 2013, Huddersfield's result on the last day of the season caused Peterborough to be relegated from the Championship.

Lincoln City

Peterborough also has a rivalry with Lincoln City. The city of Lincoln is about fifty miles from Peterborough. This rivalry became stronger on May 1, 2021. Peterborough came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 against Lincoln. This draw secured Peterborough's promotion to the Championship and stopped Lincoln from finishing second.

Pride of Anglia

Many fans also consider Peterborough to be part of the Pride of Anglia derby. This involves professional clubs from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and sometimes Essex. Matches against these teams often attract large crowds. For example, in the 2019–20 season, over 10,000 fans watched Peterborough play Ipswich Town.

Players

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Nicholas Bilokapic 2 DF Sam Curtis (on loan from Sheffield United) 3 DF Rio Adebisi 4 MF Archie Collins (vice-captain) 5 DF Oscar Wallin 7 FW Malik Mothersille 8 MF Ryan de Havilland 9 MF Chris Conn-Clarke 10 FW Abraham Odoh 11 MF Kwame Poku 13 GK Will Blackmore 14 MF Joel Randall 15 DF George Nevett 17 FW Ricky-Jade Jones 18 FW Cian Hayes

No. Position Player 20 MF Mahamadou Susoho (on loan from Manchester City) 21 DF Jack Sparkes 22 MF Hector Kyprianou (captain) 27 DF Jadel Katongo (on loan from Manchester City) 31 GK Jed Steer 33 DF James Dornelly 34 DF Harley Mills 35 MF Donay O'Brien-Brady 37 DF Emmanuel Fernandez 38 MF Tyler Young 39 MF Ma'kel Bogle-Campbell 40 DF Ollie Rose 41 FW David Kamara 42 DF Lucca Mendonça 48 FW Bradley Ihionvien

Players on Loan

Some players from Peterborough United are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis.

No. Position Player 6 DF Romoney Crichlow (at Dagenham & Redbridge) 16 FW David Ajiboye (at York City) 28 FW Jacob Wakeling (at Gillingham) FW Pemi Aderoju (at Boston United) DF Aaron Powell (at Kettering Town) FW Kabongo Tshimanga (at Swindon Town)

Famous Former Players

For a list of many notable Peterborough United players, you can see List of Peterborough United F.C. players.

Club Officials

Here are some of the important people who run Peterborough United Football Club:

Boardroom Members

• Chairman: Darragh MacAnthony
• Chief Executive Officer: Dawn Gore
• Director of Football: Barry Fry
• Directors: Liz Elsom, Iain Crawford, Dawn Gore
• Commercial Director: Alex Harris
• Club Patron: Bob Symns

First Team Staff

• First-team manager: Darren Ferguson
• Assistant manager: Kieran Scarff
• First-team coach: Dale Tonge
• Goalkeeping coach: Paul Gerrard
• Head of sports science: Lewis Keeble
• Physio: Jonathan Chatfield
• Club Doctor: Dr Cosmas C.P Nnochiri

Youth Team Staff

• Under 23s Manager: Ryan Semple
• Under 18s Manager: Jimmy Unwin
• Academy Goalkeeper Coach: Ali Uzunhasanoglu
• Head of academy coaching: Tony Cook
• Academy manager: Dan Robinson

Managers

This table shows the managers of Peterborough United and their records.

Name	From	To	Record
			Games Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
Jock Porter	9 July 1934	10 April 1936	71	25	17	29	35.21%
Fred Taylor	11 April 1936	22 April 1936	6	2	1	3	33.33%
Fred Taylor	23 April 1936	30 June 1937	49	21	6	22	41.82%
H J (Bert) Poulter	1 July 1937	2 June 1938	45	8	15	22	17.78%
Sam Haden	3 June 1938	1 May 1948	179	88	27	64	49.16%
Jack Blood	3 May 1948	4 February 1950	83	37	11	35	44.58%
Jim Smith	05 February 1950	05 March 1950	10	6	4	0	60.00%
Bob Gurney	6 March 1950	1 April 1952	87	37	25	25	42.53%
The Board	2 April 1952	3 June 1952	9	3	3	3	33.33%
Jack Fairbrother	4 June 1952	9 January 1954	82	41	22	19	50.00%
The Board/Trainer/Captain	10 January 1954	1 February 1954	3	2	0	1	66.67%
George Swindin	2 February 1954	4 July 1958	217	144	44	29	66.36%
Jimmy Hagan	20 August 1958	18 October 1962	202	130	36	36	64.36%
Johnny Anderson	18 October 1962	31 December 1962	12	8	1	3	66.67%
Jack Fairbrother	1 January 1963	15 February 1964	56	17	14	25	30.36%
Johnny Anderson	15 February 1964	21 April 1964	12	7	3	2	58.33%
Gordon Clark	22 April 1964	28 September 1967	173	71	40	62	41.04%
Norman Rigby	28 September 1967	30 November 1967	12	5	2	5	41.67%
Norman Rigby	1 December 1967	8 January 1969	58	22	15	21	37.93%
Jim Iley	8 January 1969	15 September 1972	182	66	47	69	36.26%
Jim Walker	16 September 1972	11 October 1972	7	0	3	4	00.00%
Noel Cantwell	12 October 1972	10 May 1977	252	105	72	75	41.67%
John Barnwell	10 May 1977	9 November 1978	80	32	30	18	40.00%
Billy Hails	9 November 1978	20 November 1978	3	0	0	3	00.00%
Billy Hails	20 November 1978	5 February 1979	9	1	3	5	11.11%
Billy Hails	9 February 1979	27 February 1979	2	1	0	1	50.00%
Peter Morris	27 February 1979	3 June 1982	178	76	48	54	42.70%
Martin Wilkinson	30 June 1982	28 February 1983	38	14	11	13	33.84%
Bill Harvey	6 November 1982		-	-	-	-
Bill Harvey	1 March 1983	15 May 1983	16	7	3	6	43.75%
John Wile	16 May 1983	1 November 1986	178	69	55	64	33.15%
Lil Fuccillo	1 November 1986	20 November 1986	4	1	2	1	25.00%
Noel Cantwell	20 November 1986	12 July 1988	90	38	22	30	42.22%
Mick Jones	12 July 1988	31 August 1989	59	18	15	26	30.51%
Dave Booth	31 August 1989	6 September 1989	1	0	1	0	00.00%
Mark Lawrenson	6 September 1989	9 November 1990	68	26	24	18	38.24%
Dave Booth	9 November 1990	22 January 1991	17	4	8	5	23.53%
Chris Turner	22 January 1991	18 December 1992	116	56	35	25	48.28%
Lil Fuccillo	18 December 1992	29 December 1993	58	15	19	24	25.86%
Chris Turner	29 December 1993	7 May 1994	28	5	7	14	19.23%
John Still	9 May 1994	24 October 1995	72	21	25	26	29.17%
Mick Halsall	24 October 1995	11 December 1995	9	5	2	2	55.56%
Mick Halsall	12 December 1995	31 May 1996	31	10	6	15	32.26%
Barry Fry	31 May 1996	31 May 2005	488	167	133	188	34.22%
Mark Wright	31 May 2005	24 January 2006	35	12	11	12	34.29%
Steve Bleasdale	24 January 2006	22 April 2006	14	6	1	7	42.86%
Barry Fry	22 April 2006	7 May 2006	3	1	0	2	33.33%
Keith Alexander	30 May 2006	15 January 2007	34	14	7	13	41.18%
Tommy Taylor	15 January 2007	21 January 2007	2	0	0	2	00.00%
Darren Ferguson	21 January 2007	7 November 2009	145	73	32	40	50.34%
Mark Cooper	14 November 2009	1 February 2010	13	1	4	8	7.69%
Jim Gannon	2 February 2010	6 April 2010	14	4	1	9	28.57%
Gary Johnson	6 April 2010	10 January 2011	33	15	4	14	45.45%
David Oldfield	11 January 2011	11 January 2011	1	1	0	0	100.00%
Darren Ferguson	12 January 2011	21 February 2015	222	88	41	93	39.64%
Dave Robertson	21 February 2015	6 September 2015	20	7	5	8	35.00%
Grant McCann	6 September 2015	25 September 2015	2	1	1	0	50.00%
Graham Westley	25 September 2015	23 April 2016	41	18	6	17	43.90%
Grant McCann	23 April 2016	8 May 2016	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Grant McCann	16 May 2016	25 February 2018	104	41	27	36	39.40%
David Oldfield	25 February 2018	28 February 2018	1	1	0	0	100.00%
Steve Evans	28 February 2018	26 January 2019	52	21	15	16	40.38%
Darren Ferguson	26 January 2019	20 February 2022	116	59	24	33	50.86%
Matthew Etherington	20 February 2022	24 February 2022	1	0	0	1	00.00%
Grant McCann	24 February 2022	4 January 2023	48	18	8	22	37.50%
Darren Ferguson	4 January 2023	Present	107	60	17	30	56.07%

Team Records and Achievements

Here are some of Peterborough United's best performances and player records:

Best Performances

• FA Cup: Reached the Quarter-finals in the 1964–65 season.
• League Cup: Reached the Semi-finals in the 1965–66 season.

Individual Player Records

• Most League Games: Tommy Robson, who played 482 games from 1968 to 1981.
• Most Goals in League Games: Jim Hall, with 122 goals from 1967 to 1975.
• Most Goals in One Season: Terry Bly, who scored 52 goals in the 1960–61 season. This is also a record for the Fourth Division.
• Highest Transfer Fee Received: About £7 million (which could rise to £10 million) from Brentford for Ivan Toney in August 2020.
• Highest Transfer Fee Paid: Over £1.25 million to Bristol City for Mo Eisa in June 2019.

Honours (Trophies Won)

Peterborough United has won several titles and trophies:

League Titles

• Third Division / League One (Level 3):

* Runners-up: 2008–09, 2020–21 * Play-off winners: 1992, 2011

• Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (Level 4):

* Champions: 1960–61, 1973–74 * Runners-up: 1990–91, 2007–08 * Play-off winners: 2000

• Midland League:

* Champions: 1939–40, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60

Cup Competitions

• Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy:

* Winners: 2013–14, 2023–24

See also

In Spanish: Peterborough United Football Club para niños