Meet the family celebrating three generations and over 55 years of service on the turnstiles at Peterborough United

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Michael Ferguson’s grandson Oscar has become the third generation of the family to work on the turnstiles at Peterborough United.

Despite managing the club for over 600 matches in four different spells between 2007 and the present day, Darren isn’t even close to the longest serving Ferguson at the club.

That honour belongs to Michael Ferguson (65), who has been on the turnstiles at London Road for the past 33 years.

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Such is Michael’s deep connection with the club, all five of his sons have also spent time on the turnstiles as well as two of his daughters-in-law.

Peterborough United turnstile operators Oscar, Michael and Ollie Ferguson. Photo: Joe Dent.Peterborough United turnstile operators Oscar, Michael and Ollie Ferguson. Photo: Joe Dent.
Peterborough United turnstile operators Oscar, Michael and Ollie Ferguson. Photo: Joe Dent.

Now though, the family has tradition has been passed onto a third generation with his 16-year-old grandson Oscar now joining the ranks.

Michael’s son Ollie has also racked up 23 seasons working at the club and there looks to be even more members of the family to come!

Speaking of his pride, Michael said: “Although I was aware it was going to happen at some stage and I was thinking about how great it would be be when my grandson starts, all of a sudden the day came and it was just a shock. I had been thinking about it for years.

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“He enjoyed it and he’s a confident young man, I always knew he would be ok with it!

“As a grandfather, I was a little bit apprehensive about how he would get on but then I thought, no I have to treat him like how I would everyone else and give him the right encouragement and tuition and he’ll be fine.

"My granddaughter has been reminding me that she is going to be 16 next year too so she will want a job!!

Michael, who lives just a stone’s throw from the ground, began working at Posh in 1992 after moving to the city at the age of 8 from Portsmouth.

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He joined the club in the summer following Chris Turner’s side winning promotion to what became Division One, at Wembley, as part of a recruitment drive.

Michael started out as a safety steward, having had previous experience doing the same role at Wembley, but after just a couple of games he was placed in charge of getting a grip of the turnstile operations after the club found that out he was an accountant by trade.

Michael added: “I’ve got sons and I used to take them each week to games and once we got the promotion, all the prices inevitably went up and by working there, I was able to get in for free and it enabled me to buy tickets for the boys as well.

“As the boys all got older, they have all worked at turnstile operators, as well as my two daughter-in-laws, so it has become a real family affair.

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“The job is good fun. It’s all about being part of something, we’re having a little of a low moment at the minute but it’s still fun to be part of.

"I’ve been following Posh for about 55 years and for 33 of them, I have been working there. It’s crazy when you say it like that.

"The two season we spent back-to-back in Division One were two of my favourite seasons. For us working here too, that is when you get the big crowds down form both sides and it makes for a fantastic atmosphere and experience.

Recalling some of his favourite memories from his time at the club, Michael remembers particularly vividly the time Sir Alex Ferguson brought his Manchester United side to London Road for Barry Fry’s Testimonial in 2005.

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He said: “For years, I used to pretend to people and the kids that he was my great uncle Alex for a bit of a joke. Then when Man United came down for a pre-season friendly once, they were asking me to introduce them to my uncle and I thought I’d been caught out but when I was standing in the tunnel waiting to pay the referee his match fee, Sir Alex was there. I told him about my predicament and he came out to meet my boys. It was a nice touch, he was a great bloke.

“Working on the turnstiles is a great part time job. We have many who do it before they go to university and they then go onto work at other clubs close to where they are at uni. We have a lot of youngsters who start while they’re at school and then carry on doing it when they come back home. We have a team of 45 people on the books.

"The stadium has changed a lot over the years, particularly with the move to cashless, which has made all of our jobs much easier. It’s a great job and I’m still really enjoying it.”

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