The secrets of Peterborough United’s success included character, fitness, great owners and knowledge of how the emergency loan system worked!

Ben Jones has been a very welcome addition to the Peterborough Telegraph Posh reporting team.
By Alan Swann
Published 15th May 2021, 12:00 BST
Poosh officials and owners celebrate promotion, from left, Bob Symns (chief executive officer), Dr Jason Neale (co-owner), Darragh MacAnthony (co-owner), Stewart Thompson)(co-owner) and Barry Fry (director of football). Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.Poosh officials and owners celebrate promotion, from left, Bob Symns (chief executive officer), Dr Jason Neale (co-owner), Darragh MacAnthony (co-owner), Stewart Thompson)(co-owner) and Barry Fry (director of football). Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.
Poosh officials and owners celebrate promotion, from left, Bob Symns (chief executive officer), Dr Jason Neale (co-owner), Darragh MacAnthony (co-owner), Stewart Thompson)(co-owner) and Barry Fry (director of football). Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

The season-ticket-holder-turned-journalist ran the matchday blog for a lot of the season and increased the readership many times over.

Here are the secrets to the Posh promotion success, according to Ben...

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

1) ‘The ‘coming from behind’ stats show what great character was present in the squad. Seven more points (22) than any other League one team after conceding the first goal which is why I wasn’t worried when Lincoln were 3-0 up in the penultimate game of the season. ‘Well, not much anyway!

Keeping Mark Beevers (left) and Frankie Kent fit was crucial to Posh winning promotion, Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.Keeping Mark Beevers (left) and Frankie Kent fit was crucial to Posh winning promotion, Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.
Keeping Mark Beevers (left) and Frankie Kent fit was crucial to Posh winning promotion, Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

‘Posh also had the best record in League One of gathering points after being behind at half time (13 from nine matches).’

2) ‘The work done by physio Matt Rogers and the sports science team was crucial. I’m not convinced we had the strength in depth to cover long absences so keeping key men like Jonson Clarke-Harris, Mark Beevers and Frankie Kent fit was vital. ‘Posh outscored the opposition 36-12 in the last 15 minutes of matches which shows how fit they were.’

3) ‘To pick up 50 points in home games, the most in League One by four, without the famous London Road roar to help them was a terrific effort.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

4) ‘Knowing how the emergency loan market worked proved important. Losing number one goalkeeper Christy Pym towards the end of the season was a blow, but Josef Bursik was a brilliant replacement.’

5) ‘Posh have the greatest owners. They backed the manager in the transfer market last summer with a couple of million pound signings, during a pandemic, while trying to buy back the ground and raise the status of the Academy. They even offered to spend on the squad in January.’

Follow @PTBenJones on Twitter

Related topics:Ben Jones

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.