When dreams came true at Wembley for a homegrown Peterborough United star

The Blues’ are long odds-on favourites. They’ve won on their last three trips to Wembley, most recently the 2011 League Cup Final against Arsenal. Both clubs are also chasing a third EFL Trophy win which would match the record of Bristol City, the only club so far to have won the competition three times.

Posh will of course be defending a 100% winning record at the national stadium so cheer yourselves up by remembering four memorable days in the run-up to the big day.

Today it’s last season’s dramatic EFL Trophy Final win over Wycombe Wanderers.

Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Posh 2, Wycombe 1

Attendance: 42,252

Another drab Wembley Final between two League One sides who knew each other well burst into life in the final 10 minutes. Posh looked to have won it when captain Harrison Burrows drilled home on 85 minutes, but Wycombe substitute Dale Taylor equalised from the edge of the box with his first kick of the ball on 87 minutes.

No matter, Posh promptly won a corner which was played back to Burrows who launched a deep cross that somehow flew over a flailing goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.

Burrows said: “I always believed we could win, but I never thought we would do it like this. To play at Wembley for Peterborough as captain, and then score the winner, is a dream come true for me.

“For the winning goal, when the ball was in the air, I thought it had a chance and then to see it go in was unbelievable. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck in a cup final and fortunately, it went our way today.

“It’s just so good to see my family and my friends here and the fans with smiles on their faces – this is a moment I’ll remember forever.”

His teammate Ricky-Jade Jones added: “What a way to end a game. The skipper, Harrison Burrows – you couldn’t write it! That’s what he does, with his wand of a left foot.

“We’ve done everything together since the age of nine, coming through the age groups and now we’ve shared the big stage together, so it’s unbelievable. I’m just thinking, ‘what’s next?’

“That winning feeling is surreal and it’s something I want to do all the time now. I’ve got a taste for it and it’s onto the next one now.”

NOTE: Darren Ferguson became the second manager to win the Trophy twice with the same club after McMahon at Blackpool (2002 & 2004). Today he will attempt to become the first manager to win it three times and Posh will try to become the first team to win the Trophy in back-to-back seasons. Lou Macari managed Birmingham City and Stoke City to Trophy wins in back-to-back seasons (1991 & 1992).

Posh: Steer, Katongo, Burrows, Edwards, Knight, Kyprianou, Collins, Randall (sub Crichlow), Poku (sub Clarke-Harris), Jones (sub Mothersille), Mason-Clark.