List of Peterborough United F.C. seasons

Peterborough United Football Club is an English association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. After former Southern League club Peterborough & Fletton United folded in 1932, there had been no senior football in the Peterborough area. In the summer of 1934, a new professional club, named Peterborough United, was founded to take its place. It was welcomed into membership of the Midland League for 1934–35,[1] and the club's first team finished that initial season in mid-table.[2] They entered the national cup competition, the FA Cup, the following season, but lost their opening match 3–0 at home to Rushden Town in the first qualifying round.[3] When competitive football resumed after the Second World War, Peterborough enjoyed improved performances in both league and cup competition. In the cup, they regularly reached the rounds proper, and progressed to the fourth round in 1956–57 and 1959–60, eliminating two Football League teams on the first occasion and three on the second.[2] In the Midland League, they finished second in 1953–54, third the following year, and then embarked on a run of five consecutive championships, scoring more than 100 goals in each campaign. Repeated attempts at election to the Football League failed – albeit narrowly in 1958–59 – until they finally gained admission to the Fourth Division in 1960 at the expense of Gateshead.[4]

Their momentum continued into the new Football League season: in second place with Christmas approaching, Peterborough did not lose again until the following April.[5] They won the Fourth Division title, scoring what remains a Football League record 134 goals.[6] Terry Bly supplied 52 of those 134 – not a league record, but a seasonal total which has not been surpassed since.[6] They followed up with four top-half finishes at the higher level before dropping to mid-table, eliminated Arsenal among others on their way to the sixth round (quarter-final) of the 1964–65 FA Cup, and went one step further in the 1965–66 League Cup, losing to West Bromwich Albion in the semifinal,[2] but problems off the field disrupted their further progress. In November 1967, the Football Association and Football League met to consider charges of making illegal payments to players, poor accounting practices and poor internal governance, stemming from claims surrounding an FA Cup match against Sunderland the previous January. They decided that Peterborough would be demoted to the Fourth Division at the end of the 1967–68 season. At the time, they stood fourth in the Third Division after 19 matches.[5][7] They won their second Fourth Division championship in 1973–74, this time spending five years in the Third before returning to the fourth tier until 1991.[2]

Back-to-back promotions – via a fourth-place finish in 1990–91 and the play-offs in 1992, beating Stockport County 2–1 in the final,[2][8] – earned Peterborough a place in the second tier for the first time in the club's history. They came 10th in what was called the First Division – when the newly formed FA Premier League split from the Football League, the remaining divisions of the Football League were renumbered upwards[9] – which remains the team's highest league finish.[1] and were relegated in 1993–94. They returned to the second tier, which by then had been rebranded as the Football League Championship, in 2009, again after two consecutive promotions. Although relegated straight back to League One, they were immediately re-promoted, and stayed up for two seasons.[2] Failure in the 2014 play-offs[10] was offset by a first ever victory in a nationally organised cup competition: Peterborough defeated Chesterfield by three goals to one in the final of the 2013–14 Football League Trophy, a competition open to clubs in the third and fourth tiers of English football.[11] They returned to the Championship as 2020–21 League One runners-up,[12] went straight back down, and lost to Sheffield Wednesday on penalties in the 2023 play-off semifinal.[13]

As of the end of the 2022–23 season, the team have spent 25 seasons in the fourth tier of the English football league system, 32 in the third, and 6 in the second.[2] The table details the team's achievements and the top goalscorer in senior first-team competitions from their debut season in the Midland League in 1934–35 to the end of the most recently completed season.

Key

Key to league record:

  • P – Played
  • W – Games won
  • D – Games drawn
  • L – Games lost
  • F – Goals for
  • A – Goals against
  • Pts – Points
  • Pos – Final position

Key to colours and symbols:

1st or W Winners
2nd or F Runners-up
↑ Promoted
↓ Relegated
♦ Top league scorer in Peterborough's division

Key to divisions:

Key to stages of competitions:

  • Group – Group stage
  • Prelim – Preliminary round
  • QR1 – First qualifying round
  • QR2 – Second qualifying round, etc.
  • R1 – First round
  • R2 – Second round, etc.
  • QF – Quarter-final
  • SF – Semi-final
  • F – Runners-up
  • W – Winners
  • (S) – Southern section of regionalised stage

Details of the abandoned 1939–40 season are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons

Season League[2][5] FA Cup[3] League Cup[2][5][a] Other[2][5][14] Top scorer(s)[b]
Division[c] P W D L F A Pts Pos Competition Result Name Goals
1934–35 Mid 38 15 10 13 81 84 40 10th — — — —
  • Bill Rigby
  • James Thompson
 14
1935–36 Mid 40 13 8 19 52 86 34 17th QR1 — — — Dave Collins 22
1936–37 Mid 42 16 6 20 75 97 38 16th R1 — — — Jack Briggs 32
1937–38
  • 42
  • 16
  • 7
  • 8
  • 13
  • 2
  • 22
  • 6
  • 67
  • 29
  • 105
  • 31
  • 29
  • 18
  • 19th
  • 3rd
 QR2 — — — Harry Roberts 27
1938–39
  • 42
  • 16
  • 20
  • 7
  • 4
  • 1
  • 18
  • 8
  • 99
  • 43
  • 77
  • 51
  • 44
  • 15
  • 10th
  • 6th
 R1 — — — Charlie MacCartney 52
1939–40 Mid 3 3 0 0 16 2 6 —[d] — — — — Jack Haycox 5
1945–46 Mid 36 17 3 16 63 74 37 9th QR3[e] — — — Ged Hustwaite 12
1946–47 Mid 42 18 12 12 90 77 48 9th R2 — — — Arnold Bramham 21
1947–48 Mid 42 22 4 16 88 78 48 6th QR4 — — — Nat Brooksbank 29
1948–49 Mid 42 15 6 21 58 83 36 16th R1 — — — Billy Guest 20
1949–50 Mid 46 23 10 13 91 70 56 4th QR3 — — — Freddie Martin 30
1950–51 Mid 42 16 15 11 69 65 47 9th QR2 — — — Freddie Martin 16
1951–52 Mid 42 20 10 12 90 71 50 5th QR4 — — — Johnny Dowson 28
1952–53 Mid 46 18 15 13 76 55 51 8th R2 — — — Freddie Martin 30
1953–54 Mid 46 27 8 11 111 73 62 2nd R3 — — — Doug Taft 45
1954–55 Mid 46 23 16 7 69 38 62 3rd QR4 — — — Jimmy Kelly 10
1955–56 Mid 46 33 11 2 137 46 77 1st R2 — — — Dennis Emery 33
1956–57 Mid 46 36 6 4 148 35 78 1st R4 — — — Dennis Emery 51
1957–58 Mid 46 35 5 6 160 46 75 1st R1 — — — Dennis Emery 53
1958–59 Mid 36 32 4 0 137 26 68 1st R3 — — — Jimmy Rayner 42
1959–60 Mid 32 23 6 3 108 37 52 1st R4 — — — Jimmy Rayner 28
1960–61 Div 4 ↑ 46 28 10 8 134 65 66 1st[f] R4 R1 — — Terry Bly[g] 54 ♦
1961–62 Div 3 46 26 6 14 107 82 58 5th R4 R1 — — Terry Bly 33
1962–63 Div 3 46 20 11 15 93 75 51 6th R3 R2 — — George Hudson 26
1963–64 Div 3 46 18 11 17 75 70 47 10th R1 R2 — — Derek Dougan 21
1964–65 Div 3 46 22 7 17 85 74 51 8th QF R2 — — Derek Dougan 25
1965–66 Div 3 46 17 12 17 80 66 46 13th R2 SF — — John Byrne 25
1966–67 Div 3 46 14 15 17 66 71 43 15th R4 R2 — — John Fairbrother 23
1967–68 Div 3 ↓ 46 20 10 16 79 67 50 24th[h] R3 R1 — — John Fairbrother 14
1968–69 Div 4 46 13 16 17 60 57 42 18th R1 R4 — — Jim Hall 24
1969–70 Div 4 46 17 14 15 77 69 48 9th R4 R1 — — Jim Hall 27
1970–71 Div 4 46 18 7 21 70 71 43 16th R2 R1 — — Colin Garwood 18
1971–72 Div 4 46 17 16 13 82 64 50 8th R3 R1 — — Peter Price[i] 32 ♦
1972–73 Div 4 46 14 13 19 71 76 41 19th R3 R1 — — Jim Hall 23
1973–74 Div 4 ↑ 46 27 11 8 75 38 65 1st R4 R1 — — John Cozens 25
1974–75 Div 3 46 19 12 15 47 53 50 7th R5 R1 — — David Gregory 14
1975–76 Div 3 46 15 18 13 63 63 48 10th R4 R4 — — David Gregory 17
1976–77 Div 3 46 13 15 18 55 65 41 16th R2 R2 — — John Cozens 10
1977–78 Div 3 46 20 16 10 47 33 56 4th R3 R3 — — Tommy Robson 15
1978–79 Div 3 ↓ 46 11 14 21 44 63 36 21st R1 R4 — — Barry Butlin 7
1979–80 Div 4 46 21 10 15 58 47 52 8th R1 R3 — — Billy Kellock 23
1980–81 Div 4 46 17 18 11 68 54 52 5th R5 R2 — — Robbie Cooke 29
1981–82 Div 4 46 24 10 12 71 57 82[j] 5th R3 R1 Football League Group Cup QF Robbie Cooke 31[k]
1982–83 Div 4 46 17 13 16 58 52 64 9th R3 R2 Football League Group Cup Group Micky Gynn 21
1983–84 Div 4 46 18 14 14 72 48 68 7th R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) Alan Waddle 12
1984–85 Div 4 46 16 14 16 54 53 62 11th R2 R1 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) Errington Kelly 14
1985–86 Div 4 46 13 17 16 52 64 56 17th R5 R1 Associate Members' Cup Prelim(S) Jackie Gallagher 15
1986–87 Div 4 46 17 14 15 57 50 65 10th R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup Prelim(S) Steve Phillips 12
1987–88 Div 4 46 20 10 16 52 53 70 7th R2 R3 Associate Members' Cup QF(S) Mick Gooding 24
1988–89 Div 4 46 14 12 20 52 74 54 17th R2 R2 Associate Members' Cup Prelim(S) Nick Cusack 12
1989–90 Div 4 42 17 17 12 59 46 68 9th R2 R1 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) Mick Halsall 12
1990–91 Div 4 ↑ 46 21 17 8 67 45 80 4th R3 R2 Associate Members' Cup Prelim(S) Paul Culpin 14
1991–92 Div 3 ↑ 46 20 14 12 65 58 74 6th[l] R2 QF Associate Members' Cup F(S) Ken Charlery 26
1992–93 Div 1[m] 46 16 14 16 55 63 62 10th[n] R2 R2 Anglo-Italian Cup Prelim Tony Adcock 19
1993–94 Div 1 ↓ 46 8 13 25 48 76 37 24th R3 R4 Anglo-Italian Cup Prelim Tony Adcock 13
1994–95 Div 2 46 14 18 14 54 69 60 15th R2 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Ken Charlery 19
1995–96 Div 2 46 13 13 20 59 66 52 19th R4 R2 Football League Trophy SF(S) Gary Martindale[o] 18
1996–97 Div 2 ↓ 46 11 14 21 55 73 47 21st R4 R2 Football League Trophy F(S) Ken Charlery 13
1997–98 Div 3 46 18 13 15 63 51 67 10th R3 R2 Football League Trophy SF(S) Jimmy Quinn 25
1998–99 Div 3 46 18 12 16 72 56 66 9th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Giuliano Grazioli 15
1999–2000 Div 3 ↑ 46 22 12 12 63 54 78 5th[p] R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Andy Clarke 18
2000–01 Div 2 46 15 14 17 61 66 59 12th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Leon McKenzie 13
2001–02 Div 2 46 15 10 21 64 59 55 17th R4 R2 Football League Trophy QF(S) Leon McKenzie 20
2002–03 Div 2 46 14 16 16 51 54 58 11th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Andy Clarke 19
2003–04 Div 2 46 12 16 18 58 58 52 18th R3 R1 Football League Trophy QF(S)
12
2004–05 League 1[q] ↓ 46 9 12 25 49 73 39 23rd R4 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Calum Willock 14
2005–06 League 2 46 17 11 18 57 49 62 9th R1 R1 Football League Trophy QF(S) Danny Crow 17
2006–07 League 2 46 18 11 17 70 61 65 10th R3 R2 Football League Trophy QF(S) 10
2007–08 League 2 ↑ 46 28 8 10 84 43 92 2nd R4 R2 Football League Trophy R2(S) Aaron Mclean 33
2008–09 League 1 ↑ 46 26 11 9 78 54 89 2nd R3 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Craig Mackail-Smith 26
2009–10 Champ ↓ 46 8 10 28 46 80 34 24th R3 R4 — — George Boyd 12
2010–11 League 1 ↑ 46 23 10 13 106 75 79 4th[r] R3 R3 Football League Trophy R2(S) Craig Mackail-Smith[s] 35 ♦
2011–12 Champ 46 13 11 22 67 77 50 18th R3 R2 — — Paul Taylor 12
2012–13 Champ ↓ 46 15 9 22 66 75 54 22nd R3 R2 — — 13
2013–14 League 1 46 23 5 18 72 58 74 6th[t] R3 R3 Football League Trophy W Britt Assombalonga 33
2014–15 League 1 46 18 9 19 53 56 63 9th R2 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Conor Washington 13
2015–16 League 1 46 19 6 21 82 73 63 13th R4 R2 Football League Trophy R1(S) Conor Washington 15
2016–17 League 1 46 17 11 18 62 62 62 11th R3 R2 EFL Trophy R1(S) Tom Nichols 13
2017–18 League 1 46 17 13 16 68 60 64 9th R4 R1 EFL Trophy QF Jack Marriott[u] 33 ♦
2018–19 League 1 46 20 12 14 71 62 72 7th R3 R1 EFL Trophy QF Ivan Toney 23
2019–20 League 1 35 17 8 10 68 40 59 7th[v] R3 R1 EFL Trophy R2(S) Ivan Toney[w] 26 ♦
2020–21 League 1 ↑ 46 26 9 11 83 46 87 2nd R2 R1 EFL Trophy QF Jonson Clarke-Harris[x] 33 ♦
2021–22 Champ ↓ 46 9 10 27 43 87 37 22nd R5 R1 — — Jonson Clarke-Harris 12
2022–23 League 1 46 24 5 17 75 54 77 6th[y] R2 R2 EFL Trophy R2(S) Jonson Clarke-Harris[z] 29 ♦

Notes

  1. ^ The League Cup competition started in the 1960–61 season.[9]
  2. ^ Includes goals scored in all nationally organised competitions, i.e. the Football League, including play-offs, FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Group Cup, EFL Trophy and predecessors, and Anglo-Italian Cup, as well as goals scored in the Midland League and London Midweek League before Peterborough's admission to the Football League. For seasons from 1934–35 to 2009–10, sourced to the Peterborough United Football Club database;[15] from 2010–11 onwards sourced to Soccerbase.[16]
  3. ^ From the 1960–61 Football League season onwards, divisions are sorted according to their level within the English football league system, and separately from the pre-Football League division.
  4. ^ The 1939–40 Midland League season was abandoned with three matches played when the Second World War began,[19] and competitive football remained suspended for the duration.[2]
  5. ^ The FA Cup was contested in 1945–46. From the first round proper to the sixth round (quarter-final), results were determined on aggregate score over two legs.[3]
  6. ^ In their first season in the Football League, Peterborough not only won the Fourth Division title, they set a League record of 134 goals which still stands, and Terry Bly's 52-goal return, while not a League record, has not been bettered since.[20]
  7. ^ Bly was top scorer in the 1960–61 Fourth Division with 52 goals.[21]
  8. ^ Demoted for financial irregularities.[7]
  9. ^ Price was top scorer in the 1971–72 Fourth Division with 28 goals.[21]
  10. ^ The 1981–82 season saw the introduction of three points for a win instead of two.[9]
  11. ^ Figure includes three goals in the Football League Group Cup, regarded as competitive by Up The Posh! and by independent sources such as the English National Football Archive (ENFA) but omitted from Cooke's competitive record by the Peterborough United Football Club database.[22]
  12. ^ Promoted to the second tier for the first time. After defeating Huddersfield Town 4–3 on aggregate in the semifinal of the play-offs, Peterborough beat Stockport County 2–1 in the final.[2][8]
  13. ^ The newly formed FA Premier League split from the Football League, and the remaining divisions of the Football League were renumbered upwards.[9]
  14. ^ Peterborough's record high finish, of 10th in the second tier.[2]
  15. ^ Martindale was top scorer in the 1995–96 Second Division with 21 goals, of which 6 were scored for Notts County after he left Peterborough.[21][23]
  16. ^ After defeating Barnet 5–1 on aggregate in the semifinal of the play-offs, Peterborough beat Darlington 2–1 in the final.[2][24]
  17. ^ From the 2004–05 season, the Football League divisions were rebranded: Division One was renamed the Football League Championship, and Divisions Two and Three became Football League One and Football League Two respectively.[25]
  18. ^ After defeating Milton Keynes Dons 4–3 on aggregate in the semifinal of the play-offs, Peterborough beat Huddersfield Town 3–0 in the final.[2][26]
  19. ^ Mackail-Smith was top scorer in the 2010–11 League One season with 27 goals.[27]
  20. ^ Lost 3–2 on aggregate to Leyton Orient in the semifinal of the play-offs.[10]
  21. ^ Marriott was top scorer in the 2017–18 League One season with 27 goals.[27]
  22. ^ The 2019–20 football season was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EFL was suspended in March 2020 and in June, the League One clubs voted to end the regular season programme early. Teams had not all played the same number of matches, so it was agreed to construct final league tables on a points-per-game basis. Peterborough United's 74.17 points per game placed them 7th.[28][29]
  23. ^ Toney was top scorer in the 2019–20 League One season with 24 goals.[27]
  24. ^ Clarke-Harris was top scorer in the 2020–21 League One season with 31 goals.[27]
  25. ^ Peterborough won the first (home) leg of the play-off semifinal against Sheffield Wednesday 4–0, but conceded four goals, including a 98th-minute equaliser, in the second leg. They regained the lead in extra time via an own goal, but conceded again to take the tie to penalties. Wednesday won the shoot-out 5–3.[13]
  26. ^ Clarke-Harris was joint top scorer in the 2022–23 League One season with 26 goals.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b "Peterborough United FC History". Peterborough United F.C. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Peterborough United". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Past Results". The Football Association. Retrieved 9 May 2021. Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.
  4. ^ "Premier League and Football League". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2016. Select seasons required via Div 3S and Div 4 links; pages give breakdown of voting figures.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Peterborough United league performance history" and "Peterborough United football club complete match record". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 9 May 2021. Select date(s) required via dropdown menus.
  6. ^ a b "Goals". The Football League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b Swann, Alan (4 January 2012). "Posh: And a 7–1 thrashing wasn't the only punishment Posh received against Sunderland... they were demoted!". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
    Green, Geoffrey (22 November 1967). "Peterborough case. Sentence is warning to all". The Times. London. p. 13.
  8. ^ a b Swann, Alan (21 May 2012). "Wembley, 24 May 1992: Posh 2, Stockport 1 – The day Charlery became a legend". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d "History of the Football League". The Football League. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011.
  10. ^ a b Stevens, Rob (13 May 2014). "Leyton Orient 2–1 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  11. ^ Woodcock, Ian (30 March 2014). "Chesterfield 1–3 Peterborough United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Peterborough United 3–3 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Gholam, Simeon (25 May 2023). "Sheffield Wednesday 5–1 Peterborough (Agg: 5–5): Owls win 5–3 on penalties after launching stunning comeback to reach League One play-off final". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Football League Group Cup". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  15. ^ "PUFC Players: Goals: Competition List all: Team 1st team". Peterborough United Football Club database. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2023. Select season required via dropdown menu.
  16. ^ "Peterborough: Player Appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 December 2023. Select season required via dropdown menu.
  17. ^ "How they stand. London Mid-week League". Peterborough Standard. 6 May 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Season 1938/39: Table". Boston United FC The original website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  19. ^ "PUFC Matches: 1939/40". Peterborough United Football Club database. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2023. Scorers' names available via linked match details.
  20. ^ "Goals". The Football League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  21. ^ a b c Ross, James M. (25 June 2015). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Robbie Cooke". Up The Posh!. Chris Wilkinson. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016.
    "Player search: Cooke, RL (Robbie)". English National Football Archive (ENFA). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
    "Matches for Robbie Cooke: Match type: Results (competitive)". Peterborough United Football Club database. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  23. ^ Sewell, Albert, ed. (1996). News of the World Football Annual 1996–97. London: Invincible Press. pp. 356–57. ISBN 978-0-00-218737-4.
  24. ^ "Posh pull it off at Wembley". BBC Sport. 26 May 2000. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  25. ^ "League gets revamp". BBC Sport. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  26. ^ Begley, Emlyn (29 May 2011). "Huddersfield 0–3 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  27. ^ a b c d e "League One". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 December 2023. Select season via dropdown menu.
  28. ^ "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early". BBC Sport. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  29. ^ "Sky Bet League One". English Football League. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

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