The highs and lows of Posh in 2023: Record wins, record defeats, great celebrations, one huge disappointment

The 2-2 home draw with a strong Barnsley side was full of drama, twists and turns and was royally entertaining.

It’s clear Posh have a young team to be proud of and the most exciting thing is the improvement that can be reasonably expected.

Posh were seventh in League One when the last New Year was seen in and seemingly going nowhere, but now they are third with an obvious chance of promotion from the same division.

Here were recall the highs and the lows of an entertaining 2023.

HIGH

The return of Darren Ferguson as manager for a fourth time in January was ridiculed by many, but it’s proved to be a masterstroke as Posh, after forcing their way into the play-offs last season in dramatic fashion, are now playing some of the most attractive football seen at London Road.

LOW

Ferguson was re-hired after a dismal 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Wycombe Wanderers on New Year’s Day saw off Grant McCann as manager. It was a horrible afternoon against a horrible team, but bizarrely Wycombe did us a huge favour.

HIGH

Fast forward 12 months and be delighted Darragh MacAnthony is back as sole owner of the club and that a major creditor has been satisfied. MacAnthony is a man who has always said he works best alone. In Darragh we should always trust!

LOW

The dreaded ‘Administration’ word was bandied about after a fear-mongering article about Posh appeared on a prominent sports reporting website in the summer. It caused panic among the fanbase and made life difficult at the club as it became obvious the ownership weren’t getting on as well as before. The company who own the Posh stadium going into receivership didn’t help either.

HIGH

Smashing Cambridge United by a record-breaking 5-0 score at London Road was magical. The 2-0 win on the final day of the regular League One season at Barnsley which booked a play-off place sparked brilliant celebrations as did the 4-0 first-leg play-off win over Sheffield Wednesday.

LOW

Hillsborough, no further detail required, and Posh didn’t turn up at Cambridge in April. They also lost at Cobblers in August so after not losing a FL derby against our two biggest rivals for 16 years Posh lost two in four months. A record-equalling 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Bolton wasn’t fun either.

HIGH

Posh should be proud of players who play international football at any level so hats off to outstanding midfield talent Hector Kyprianou for winning his first senior caps for Cyprus and getting to play against Erling Haaland as well as a top-class Spanish team. And brilliant England defender Ronnie Edwards is now captaining his country at under 20 level.

LOW

Losing Kyprianou, Edwards and Jadel Katongo for international games meant the postponement of Posh matches and boring weekends.

HIGH

It’s remarkable we are still watching Edwards play in League One. As everyone expected him to leave in the summer it’s been a huge bonus having him here for the first half of the season at least. If he leaves on January 1 at the age of 20 he will still go down as one of the greatest Posh players, never mind one of the greatest club defenders. He even scored his first Posh goal, in a League One game at Carlisle.

LOW

The speculation Edwards would leave throughout August was nerve-shredding. It’s been the same in December with the speculation surrounding Peter Kioso who now seems set to leave after making a fantastic impact on and off the pitch at the club.

HIGH

Anyone doubting Ferguson’s coaching skills should study the transformation of Joel Randall this season. The million-pound misfit has been turned into a key attacking talent in a side full of them.

LOW

One would imagine Ferguson’s own low point of 2023 would involve the Carabao Cup defeat at League Two Mansfield. Posh went down on penalties after dominating the contest which gave irritant goalkeeper Christy Pym the chance to gloat over the manager who bombed him out of the club. Ferguson’s post-match ‘bottlers’ rant was unusual and unedifying, but it turned out he was going though a difficult time personally.

HIGH

Anyone doubting the recruitment skills of Ferguson, MacAnthony and Barry Fry should study the impact of summer signings Archie Collins and Kioso.

LOW

The blunder by goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic, another summer signing, which gave Cobblers an undeserved win against Posh was a low point. He’s redeemed himself on many occasions since though. Hopefully the current injury isn’t too serious.

HIGH

Let’s pay tribute to the sheer joy and excitement the current Posh squad and manager have delivered since hitting their stride towards the end of September and the beginning of October. It’s been like watching a third tier Manchester City when they play out from the back who turn into Liverpool at their explosive best when they get into the opposition half. Exaggeration is allowed on New Year’s Eve.

Let’s hope it continues into 2024 because rewards will surely follow.