Thank you Peterborough United for a thrilling season, one untainted by cynical acts, and let's hope an impressive manager is not forced to build another top team next season

They have been a joy to watch in a season that has exceeded most expectations. The style of football has been as enjoyable as anything this reporter has seen in 50 years of pitching up at London Road. They’ve recorded two five-goal derby wins, outclassed the promoted Derby County team on their own patch and beat the unlovable Wycombe Wanderers in a Wembley final. They are moments which should generate great pride.

The players, with only the odd exception, are all gifted footballers who are comfortable with the ball at their feet. They have pace and power and they delivered intricate passing movements which have bamboozled opponents. They also refuse to resort to the ‘dark arts’ to win matches. Sitting down for a breather feigning injury while club physios shamelessly join in a charade for the benefit of officials who rarely make the time up, is not in the Posh playbook and they should be proud of that as well.

Of course the season has ended in disappointment. This is third time in a row Posh have failed to negotiate a play-off semi-final, and the second in two seasons, but last night was as far removed from the Hillsborough capitulation of 12 months ago as it’s possible to be.

Posh will rue how poor they were for the first hour of a two-legged semi-final – just as much as they will rue dropping five points to Carlisle, losing four straight games to modest opposition in February and losing at Cobblers – but they were outstanding for the final 120 minutes against Oxford. They ran them ragged, whenever they could avoid the constant cynical fouling, but were foiled by some outstanding penalty area defensive work as well as their own inability to fashion the number, or even the quality, of chances their domination of the ball warranted.

Oh for a centre forward with the finishing ability of Jonson Clarke-Harris and the speed of Ricky-Jade Jones. Posh scored one goal in two legs and that came from a free-kick, which meant they bowed out to a team who showed little attacking intent of their own. Oxford were in possession of the ball in the Posh penalty area just five times last night according to BBC statistics compared to 34 touches of the ball for Posh in the Oxford area. An ‘heroic victory’ claimed followers of the visitors, after watching a game play out in the style of a lower league club battling to success against far superior opponents.

Posh essentially shot themselves in the foot though. Taking the lead so close to the interval and failing to protect it before the half-time whistle because of three errors in quick succession was a frustration. Oxford equalised from the penalty spot with their only shot on target of the night. It was a shame captain Harrison Burrows was guilty of the handball offence, but that shouldn’t detract from what has been an outstanding personal campaign.

And while struggling referee Andrew Kitchen, a man with a record of rubbish decisions at London Road, was guilty of failing to issue what should have been several mandatory cautions, and was too happy to indulge some blatant gamesmanship, he was right to award the Oxford spot-kick and probably right not to give Posh one in the second-half as Joel Randall’s shot looked to me to hit Joe Bennett in the head rather than on the arm, never mind what Darren Ferguson maintained after the game.

I feel for Posh boss Ferguson now. His reputation among Posh fans, at least among deeper thinkers rather than Twitter loons, should have been enhanced this season. To get such a young and new squad to fourth place while playing with such style was a great accomplishment by the manager and his staff. I just hope he does not now have to build another team for a 2024-25 League One season, a competition which is bound to have much more strength in depth than we’ve seen this time around.

It would be a crying shame if this squad breaks up for whatever reason. Ephron Mason-Clark has gone, Jonson Clarke-Harris will go, while Josh Knight and Ronnie Edwards are probably going, and it’s possible Burrows, Kwame Poku and Hector Kyprianou will go as well. Hopefully the chairman can offer hope on a podcast soon that the bulk of the squad will actually be staying.