Peterborough United’s own history is against them this season, but Coventry City’s recent history should give Darren Ferguson’s team much encouragement

This isn’t the worst start to a season in the second tier in Posh history, but on the three previous occasions they’ve failed to reach 10 points from the first 11 games they’ve been relegated.

The infamous 2012-13 campaign delivered the worst start to a Posh campaign at Championship level. Darren Ferguson’s side lost their first seven games and nine of their first 11, collecting just six points from away games at Hull and Barnsley on the way.

That team, inspired by Dwaight Gayle, Lee Tomlin and others went on to reach 54 points, but they were still relegated, albeit with a record number of points.

Posh picked up seven points from the first 11 games of the 2009-10 Championship season and went on to finish bottom with just 34 points.

The 1993-94 Posh team managed nine points from their first 11 matches in the old Division One and also finished bottom with 37 points.

The best start over the first 11 matches of a second tier season was delivered by the very first Posh team to compete at that level in 1992-93.

They accumulated 17 points and went to to achieve what remains a club record Football League finish of 10th with 62 points.

The 2011-12 Posh side also started well. They had 16 points after 11 matches although they faded in the second half of the season to finish 16th with 50 points, four fewer than in their relegation campaign the following year!

But a look at Coventry City’s recent Championship record offers hope. The Sky Blues won promotion from League One in the truncated 2019-20 season and after 11 Championship games the following season they, like Posh this season, had mustered just eight points.

Their start was identical in every respect to the one currently being experienced by Posh. This time last season Coventry had a playing record of P11 W2 D2 L7 F12 A23. The current Posh record is P11 W2 D2 L7 F12 A23!