Peterborough United’s 1-0 win against Leyton Orient was their 3000th league game. To celebrate, I delved into the archives to choose five memorable Posh matches.
Posh were formed in 1934 but did not join the football league until 1960. Their first game was against Wrexham, who presented them with a silver salver before kick-off to welcome them to the league.
Posh fielded a strong side, which included new signing Terry Bly, and ran out 3-0 winners. Denis Emery scored in the 25th minute, and Peter McNamee added another in the 79th minute. Bly scored a debut goal in the 83rd minute to round off the win.
That first match was a good omen. Posh would go on to win Division 4 that season, scoring a record breaking 134 goals. Bly finished the season as the club’s top scorer – and set a new league record – with 52.
This is regarded as one of the greatest nights in the club’s history.
It was a crucial game – the two sides were neck and neck before kick-off. Over 17,000 people watched nervously as Posh went behind to a Keith Lindsey penalty, but then goals from Jeff Lee, captain Chris Turner, and a brace from John Cozens turned the match in Posh’s favour.
They won the Division 4 title by three points. It was the club’s first league title since 1960, and the result meant that they went through the season unbeaten at home – a feat that no other Posh side has managed.
Posh finished sixth in Division 3, which earned them a place in the play-offs. After beating Huddersfield Town 4-0 on aggregate in the semi-final, Posh advanced to the final against Stockport County.
It was the club’s first match at Wembley, but the tension was high for both sides. During a nervy match, the deadlock was finally broken by Ken Charlery in the second half with a header that hit the bar before dropping in, and the goal was given despite County’s protests.
The Hatters equalised through Kevin Francis in the 88th minute, and the game looked to be heading for extra time until Charlery scored the winner in the 90th minute with a perfectly timed lob over the County keeper.
Cue wild celebrations as Posh were promoted to Division 2 – which became the First Division thanks to the formation of the Premier League.
This was a classic of the four Darren Ferguson eras, and came during his first spell in charge.
It was an end-to-end game, with some brilliant goals and dire defending from both sides. Posh took an early 2-0 lead through Craig Mackail-Smith and Aaron McLean, before the Gas hit back through Steve Elliott.
In the second half, Mackail-Smith extended Posh’s lead, but Rovers brought the score back to 3-2 after a Shane Blackett own goal. A Mackail-Smith penalty made it 4-2, but Rovers hit back again through Jeff Hughes.
In the 82nd minute, Scott Rendell scored to make it 5-3 to Posh, but Rovers’ Rickie Lambert scored in the 85th minute to make it a tense final few minutes.
Ferguson’s attacking style had its critics, but it paid off as Posh finished second that season, earning promotion to the Championship.
This was an amazing night under the lights for Posh fans, and one that almost didn’t happen.
The club finished in sixth place after Sheffield Wednesday beat Derby County on the final day of the season, which allowed Posh to sneak into the play-offs after winning at Barnsley.
Wednesday finished 19 points ahead, but that didn’t matter as an inspired Posh came flying out of the blocks. Jack Taylor gave them the lead in the 21st minute, before Joe Ward doubled it in the 37th minute with a shot that took a massive deflection. Not that anybody cared.
Kwame Poku made it 3-0 in the 50th minute, before Jonson Clarke-Harris wrapped up an impressive win in the 81st minute. It left fans dreaming of Wembley again, but the Owls had other ideas and pulled off an improbable comeback in the second leg, finally winning the tie on penalties.
So, those are my choices! Which games would you pick? Let us know in the comments.
