I decided to pick a composite best XI from all three squads with the proviso the individuals had to have played in more than half of the regular season League One matches.
The 2008-09 and 2020-21 teams finished runners-up and won automatic promotion. The 2010-11 side finished fourth and won the play-offs, but Ferguson only returned to replace Gary Johnson as manager midway through that season.
I’ve selected a 4-2-3-1 formation to best suit the players at my disposal. It was tough and I’ve had to leave out so many players who had outstanding Posh careers. Any one of the three regular right-backs would have been worthy selections.
I’m sure my team would the League One title though!
Let me know what you think...
1.
GOALKEEPER: JOE LEWIS: 2008-09: 46 apps. 2010-11: 45 apps. Basically a battle between Lewis and Christy Pym as no other goalkeeper has reached my selection criteria. I like Pym and his contribution to the season just finished should not be dismissed as good as Josef Bursik looked when he stepped in for six matches. Pym was one of the more consistent Posh players in the first half of the season and managed to rack up 15 clean sheets (16 if 82 minutes against Doncaster counts). Pym is better with the ball at his feet than Lewis, but the lanky number one was a key man in two promotions during which he missed just one regular League One season match. His height was handy and he was a good shot stopper albeit one prone to lapses in concentration.
2.
RIGHT-BACK: RUSSELL MARTIN: 2008-09: 46 apps. Three strong contenders here in Martin (2008-09), Mark Little (2010-11) and Nathan Thompson (2020-21). The latter was one of the Posh stars of last season and would be an invaluable squad member in any composite side because of his versatility. He’s a better defender than Little, but the latter’s speed and attacking dash was a delight to behold in his exciting promotion-winning team. But I’ve gone for the man who was the best all-round right-back and that’s Martin. Martin was a top defender who was also stylish on the ball and played every game of the unforgettable 2008-09 campaign when only Leicester proved better than Posh. Martin went on to have a top career at Norwich.
3.
LEFT-BACK: TOM WILLIAMS: 2008-09: 25 apps. Charlie Lee arrived at Posh in time for the 2007-08 League Two promotion-winning season as a goal-scoring midfielder. He was the first choice left-back by the time Posh secured promotion from League One the following season, but still scored the goal that sealed the deal at Colchester. His versatility would get him into a composite squad, but he’s not my first choice. Tommy Williams played 25 League One games in the 2008-09 season and was a real crowd-pleaser with his pace, undoubted quality and his set-piece skills. He was a natural left-footer so gives my side good balance. Dan Butler has just finished a solid season for Posh, but I believe he is better as a wing-back.
4.
CENTRE-BACK: RYAN BENNETT: 2010-11: 34 apps. I wanted desperately to get Frankie Kent into my team. He’s a top-class centre-back whose defensive work improved considerably last season. His tidiness on the ball and the ability to ping accurate long passes were obvious from the day he arrived. But Ryan Bennett is simply the best all-round central defender I’ve seen in a Posh shirt since Ian Ross in the 1970s. Bennett arrived at Posh as an expensive teenager, but his career was going nowhere under first Mark Cooper and then Gary Johnson. Bizarrely the latter often favoured Kelvin Langmead over Bennett, but Ferguson saw the potential and ability and my selection became a key man in 2010-11. Craig Morgan was a regular in 2008-09.