Peterborough United need to buck a trend and start better under Darren Ferguson this time around

Star midfielder Grant McCann is sent off at Brighton in the first match of Darren Ferguson's second spell as manager. Photo: David Lowndes.

Peterborough United shouldn’t expect instant returns from the re-appointment of Darren Ferguson as manager...if history proves to be a reliable guide.

In his three previous spells as manager Ferguson has failed to win his first game in charge and took a while to get the team motoring on each occasion.

Ferguson has been appointed manager in January in all of his spells at London Road. Twice he fell short of promotion in the season of his appointment, but in 2011 he celebrated a superb League One play-off success which climaxed at Old Trafford four months after he returned to the club.

Here is a summary of his starts at Posh…

Darren Ferguson in January, 2007 after his first appointment as Posh boss. Photo: David Lowndes.

Spell 1: Appointed: January 20, 2007. First game: Lincoln City 1, Posh 0.

Ferguson’s initial appointment came as a huge shock. He’d only ever coached a Wrexham youth team when he was suddenly unveiled as Posh boss on the day of a League Two home game with high-flying Stockport County. Posh lost that match 3-0 to make it seven fourth tier defeats on the spin and it became eight in a row when Fergie’s official debut game ended in a narrow defeat at a Lincoln City side chasing promotion. Posh picked up just one point from Ferguson’s first three matches in charge, but they did show signs of quality during the rest of that season. Posh were 10th when Ferguson took over and 10th when the season finished, six points outside the play-off places. Posh won promotion from League Two as runners-up to MK Dons the following season and won promotion again from League One the season after that.

Spell 2: Appointed: January 14, 2011. First game: Brighton 3, Posh 1.

Gary Johnson was despatched as Posh boss soon after a 6-2 FA Cup defeat at Fulham and Ferguson’s return was confirmed 48 hours later. He took a watching brief as Posh beat Brentford 2-1 in League One with a last-gasp goal at London Road under the caretaker-management of David Oldfield. Ferguson therefore had the luxury of starting his second reign with the team in fifth place, but his first match in charge was a toughie at league leaders Brighton and was promptly lost 3-1 with midfield playmaker Grant McCann sent off late on. Posh lost two of their first three matches under Ferguson, but a thrilling 5-3 home win over Sheffield Wednesday set them back on course and they finished fourth, scoring a barely believable 106 goals, after winning 12 and losing five of their 24 games under the new boss. Posh then saw off MK Dons and Huddersfield Town to win the play-offs.

Joe Ward equalises at Bristol Rovers in the first match of Darren Ferguson's third spell as Posh boss. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

Spell 3: Appointed: January 27, 2019. First game Bristol Rovers 2, Posh 2.

Steve Evans, like Johnson, was also ruthlessly dismissed as Posh boss with the team in the play-off places in League One. Posh were sixth after a 0-0 home draw with promotion rivals Charlton Athletic when Evans left. A screamer from Joe Ward in the last minute enabled Fergie to celebrate an away point in his first match back at the helm at Bristol Rovers, but three of the next four matches were lost before Posh rallied and reached the final game of the season with a chance of reaching the play-offs. They won that game, but so did Grant McCann’s Doncaster so Posh finished 7th, one place lower than when Ferguson took over. Posh were arguably denied promotion the following season by Covid before finishing second and returning to the Championship in 2020-21.

**Ferguson’s fourth spell in charge of Posh will start in a live League One fixture at play-off rivals Port Vale on Monday, January 16, a game that will be screened live by Sky Sports.