Despair for City of Peterborough men, but joy for the club's ladies teams

​The city side needed a positive result from their Sunday trip to second-placed Stourport to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Midlands Conference Division.

But instead it became a familiar tale of woe as City lost by a single goal in heartbreaking fashion.

Stourport sealed a 4-3 win in the final minute. Of City’s 11 defeats in 17 league matches, nine have been by a margin of one goal which suggests there were very little wrong with the team’s fighting spirit.

Matt Porter fired City ahead in Stourport and, after the hosts had eased 2-1 in front, Porter was the man to find an equaliser.

The hosts moved 3-2 up, but captain Joe Finding’s goal five minutes from time gave City hope that was finally extinguished in the final seconds for the second match in a row.

City will drop back into East League hockey for next season as will Bedford whose relegation was also confirmed on Sunday.

City complete their season at home to leaders Nottingham University seconds on Sunday (2pm) when a win could take them off the bottom. The students still need a point to seal the title.

JOY FOR LADIES

But there was much better news for City of Peterborough Ladies who completed a ‘great escape’ from East Premier Division relegation.

The city side looked down and out at the mid-season break after winning just one match before the turn of the year.

But they’ve been inspired in 2024 and a superb come-from-behind success at Norwich City last weekend, not only secured safety, but catapulted them into the top half of the table.

City were 2-0 down in Norfolk before two goals from Sophie Watts and a classy finish from Hope Elkins completed a dramatic turnaround.

City are sixth, just two points above the relegation places, but teams below them are playing each other so they cannot now go down.

City host next-to-bottom Chelmsford in their final fixture at Bretton Gate on Saturday (2.30pm).

City Ladies seconds also ended fears of relegation in Division One after two terrific weekend wins at Bretton Gate.

City crushed bottom club Norwich City 5-0 on Saturday before winning 2-1 in a relegation battle against Ipswich & East Suffolk.

Holly Foad hit a hat-trick against Norwich with youngster Elana Walker and Laura Thompson-Wright also on target.

The seconds have also scooted up the table to sixth ahead of their final game in Newmarket.

ROUND-UP

City’s men’s third team also confirmed safety at East Division Two level with a 3-3 draw against Cambridge South. Birthday boy Tom Seaton scored as did Isaac Charles and Julian Catto.

City seconds could finish second in Division One after a 3-1 win over Cambridge University, but they can’t go up following the first team’s relegation. Tom Tuffnell, Josh Compton and Ethan Pearson scored.