Peterborough United celebrity fan Adrian Durham talks to the PT about his 40-year Posh journey and the club’s chances in the Championship: ‘It started with a ticking off from a policeman’

Adrian Durham (right) hosting a talkSPORT show with Jamie Carragher.

But the real celebrity Posh supporter is long-standing TalkSport national radio host Adrian Durham. As far as we know, unlike Adrian, Tyson does not buy two Posh season tickets every year for use by a local charity.

Adrian kindly agreed to write a few words on his own Posh journey and offered a few thoughts on the current squad and its Championship chances...

“Posh became an undeniable part of me on April 24th 1976. I remember six-year-old me being told off by a policeman for sitting on the wall behind the goal at the London Road end.

The matchday programme from Adrian Durham's first Posh match. It's framed and on display in his house.

“Posh beat Shrewsbury 3-2 on the last day of the season and finished 10th in the old Division Three. The legendary Chris Turner played at centre half, another local lad David Gregory scored twice, and Stanground wonderkid Mark Heeley became Posh’s youngest ever player at 16 when he came on as a sub.

“From that game on I sold my soul to football and gave my heart to Posh. Forty-plus years later I still can’t shake it. My son James has what he calls a ‘Dad-o-meter’ when we go to Posh games together.

“He measures my levels of stress as the game goes on. His highest recording on the ‘Dad-o-meter’ was at Swindon in the Johnstone’s Paint area final penalty shoot out at Wembley in 2014 apparently. I make no apologies.

“I’ve been hosting talkSPORT’s Saturday goals show since 1999 so it’s very rare I get to see Posh at weekends. But I’ve regularly taken days off in the week to go to midweek games.

Adrian Durham showing off his support for Posh at work.

“The most notorious of which was a seven-hour round trip from my home in Hertfordshire to Middlesbrough on a Tuesday night in 2013. It finished 0-0, Lee Tomlin was denied a clear penalty, and we eventually went down that season.

“There have been plenty of bad moments for me as a Posh fan. The worst was at Leyton Orient in the League One play offs in 2014. Posh fans were at their best that night. It was a noise to be proud of. I’ve always said our away support is the best in the country.

“With the O’s 2-1 up on aggregate, Danny Swanson on the right blazed a shot way off target, with Britt Assombalonga waiting in the middle for an easy tap in.

“I was outraged, and raced down the steps to the front of the stand to remonstrate – ‘Next time square it Danny!’ There was still time left, but somehow I knew that was a devastating blow, and so it proved. That was on my birthday as well.

Adrian Durham's signed Posh shirt from the 2014 Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final at Wembley is on display in his office.

“I wasn’t at the relegation game at Palace in 2013, but I had to host a three-hour radio show straight after it had finished, and it really wasn’t easy at all.

“The great moments are so memorable. I was there for that first play off semi final win at Huddersfield in 1992, for King Kenny’s late winner in the final, the 3-2 comeback win at Derby the following season, that amazing night against MK Dons at London Road in 2011, and for the subsequent magic seven minutes against Huddersfield at Old Trafford.

“The 5-1 at Millwall in 2013 was probably the best display I’ve ever seen from Posh.

“But my favourite moment is the Wembley win in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final against Chesterfield in 2014. It wasn’t a great game, but it was the most satisfying one for me.

“I love the way Darren Ferguson’s current team plays the game.

“One touch passing, talented players comfortable on the ball, all of them capable of special vision, and we score loads of goals.I really enjoy watching this Posh side.

“Will we stay up? It may well depend on how we start. In 2012-13 we went down with a record 54 points. We doubled the champions Cardiff, took four points off second placed Hull, we lost only two of our final 12 games, we were the seventh highest scorers in the Championship including two players in double figures (Tomlin and Gayle – and Gayle didn’t arrive at the club until November), we scored more than Hull, and we beat a Leicester side including Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel.

“But crucially we lost the first seven games of the campaign. Had we taken just two wins and a draw from those, we could have secured a top 10 finish.

“In short we weren’t ready for the start of the season, and that must never happen again.”

Adrian Durham was born and brought up in Peterborough, and went to Deacon’s School between 1980-87. He now hosts Gameday Live on Saturday afternoons on talkSPORT radio, and is the lead anchor for England games, as well as the major finals.”