Ex-Peterborough United midfielder on why he copped abuse for joining Posh, why he couldn’t celebrate his promotion-winning goal and why he would have run through a brick wall for Darren Ferguson,

Peterborough United press officer Phil Adlam has kept buy during lockdown interviewing former Posh players.
Dean Keates celebrates his promotion-clinching goal at Hereford.Dean Keates celebrates his promotion-clinching goal at Hereford.
Dean Keates celebrates his promotion-clinching goal at Hereford.

Here is double promotion-winning midfielder Dean Keates talking about his action-packed three seasons with Posh.

Dean Keates

Arrived: May 2007

Chris Whelpdale in action for Posh.Chris Whelpdale in action for Posh.
Chris Whelpdale in action for Posh.

Fee: Free from Walsall

Apps: 96

Goals: 11

Left: Free to Wycombe, January, 2010

Micah Hyde in action for Posh.Micah Hyde in action for Posh.
Micah Hyde in action for Posh.

On League Two promotion season 2007-08...

“I joined Posh straight from Walsall who had just won promotion from League Two. I’d just had the best season of my career with them so I copped a fair bit of abuse for dropping straight back down to League Two.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But Darren Ferguson just sold the club and its vision to me and I wanted to be a part of it. He’d done his homework on me. It was a very impressive interview.

“He promised me I’d be back in League One the following season so I signed a three year contract and at the end of it I was in the Championship!

“I was lucky enough to score the goal that sealed promotion from League Two at Hereford. I made a near post run and I knew Chris Whelpdale would deliver the perfect cross and I ended up scoring with a diving header from about an inch off the ground.

“It was a great moment for me, especially as I’d been pretty horrendous at for the first half of the season, but I couldn’t celebrate properly as my son was rushed into hospital with chicken pox that night so I had to be with him as the rest of the lads celebrated.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was a great season though. From the moment we met up at Luton airport to fly to Marbella for a pre-season training camp we just gelled as players and as people.

“Myself, Chris Westwood and Micah Hyde provided the experience and we had good players from the Premier League like Charlie Lee and top players from non-league like George Boyd.”

On promotion from League One 2008-09...

“We fancied we could go up again. We had quality, we had experience and we had momentum.

“There were some big clubs in the division like Leeds and Leicester, but we had sky high confidence from League One. Things just snowballed for us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We didn’t say much from day one as people love to you pull you down. We just kept winning, we just kept playing well, we had players who scored goals and we had players who could mix it.

“We also had a manager who I would have run through a brick wall for. He had an aura. He knew how to make you feel great about youself.

“I’m still close with Darren now. He is the first person I turn to for advice and he is the first person to contact me when I take a new job.”

On the Championship season 2009-10...

“We were competitive, but we struggled.

“We went to Newcastle and it was like the Alamo. The gap between players who had just come down from the Premier League and a team that had come up from League One was huge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It seemed like the biggest pitch we’d ever played on and they were relentless.

“The atmosphere wasn’t the best at the game as there was the first protest against owner Mike Ashley and Darren left after the game which was a shame.”

Posh were relegated at the end of the season.