The overreaction at the match beggars belief.

There was a helicopter, mounted police, riot police, numerous police vans and heavens knows how many police on foot patrol, roads closed off, numerous public houses closed (at the club I support, you can get a drink 50 yards from the ground).

The only thing missing was a few hundred soldiers because they are fighting wars in Iraq and Afganistan.

I am a season ticket holder at an East Midlands club which has attendances in excess of 20,000 fans, and on other occasions, 30,000-plus.

Never, at any of those matches, have I seen such a police presence.

I would love to see the bill for such an extravagant exercise.

The chief of police wants to get some homework done on this scandalous overreaction and get in the real world, maybe visiting a few of these larger clubs to see how they are policed correctly, because what I witnessed on Saturday isn't right.

We would like a police presence like that which we witnessed on Saturday on some of the notorious housing estates in Peterborough, where I am sure they would be more productive.

I can visualise our council tax bills arriving through our doors in March and the press stating the rise (which is par for the course), but on top of this is another two to three per cent to be added to pay for the police in our county – and we have to swallow that.

The chief of police's office, or whoever is responsible, wants to get their house in order because what I witnesed on Saturday was scandalous.

The chairman of Peterborough United would like to see Premier League football in the city.

Somebody wants to enlighten Mr MacAnthony and explain to him that these little market towns just cannot facilitate such a spectacle.

Imagine, Peterborough city centre would be a no-go area every other Saturday.

Rod Clark
South Bretton,
Peterborough

Related:
Police pleased as Posh-Leeds match is trouble-free, 6 October 2008 (13 comments).

Match report: Posh 2, Leeds 0 - How 'the mighty' have risen!