Former Peterborough United playing hero loses his manager's job and ex-Posh defender sees red for 'one of the worst challenges' an opposition manager has ever seen

Etherington was dismissed following Colchester’s 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Gillingham which left them just five points clear of the drop zone.

The 42 year-old was only appointed on a permanent basis on November 16 after being appointed as caretaker following the sacking of Ben Garner in October.

They have lost eight of their last nine league matches, with just a 2-1 win over Salford in that run.

He won just four of his 15 games in charge, with one being against a heavily-rotated Posh side in the EFL Trophy in November.

His first venture into management with Crawley in November 2022 ended after just three games when he resigned.

It was a better day for another old Posh star as Grant McCann’s Doncaster Rovers followed up an excellent 1-1 draw at Mansfield Town with a 3-0 home win over another promotion-challenger MK Dons. Tommy Rowe scored the final goal. Rowe and McCann both scored in a famous 3-0 League One play-off final win for Posh over Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford in 2011.

Also in League Two former Posh forward Matty Stevens scored in his 100th Forest Green Rovers appearance in a 1-1 home draw with AFC Wimbledon.

In League One Nathan Thompson, a recent Posh promotion hero, was sent off for a horrible high challenge in the latter stages of a 2-1 defeat for Stevenage at league leaders Portsmouth. Pompey boss John Mousinho called it ‘one of the worst challenges I’ve sever seen.’ Thompson is a former Pompey player.

Wycombe Wanderers ended a run of 12 League One games without a win when beating Bristol Rovers 3-2 at Adams Park. Former Posh centre-back Ryan Tafazolli claimed a goal and an assist for a team that played with 10 men for the final 30 minutes and yet managed to score twice.

Ex-Posh defender Lewis Freestone conceded the penalty that enabled Northampton Town to claim a seventh win in 10 matches with a 1-0 success at home to Cheltenham Town. Peterborough-based referee Neil Hair awarded the spot-kick to Cobblers who are now ninth.

In the Championship Sammie Szmodics scored his 16th Championship goal of the season for Blackburn Rovers in a 2-2 home draw with Rotherham United. He has three more goals than any other player.

Midfielder Alex Pritchard started for Posh on that fateful day at Crystal Palace in May, 2013. Yesterday he scored a brilliant goal for Sunderland in a 2-0 Championship win at home to Preston North End.