Ground: Weston Homes Stadium (capacity 15,314)
Location: Peterborough, England Ticket price: Prices vary (£29 for my ticket). Peterborough operate on a cashless basis so you will need a card to get in (or prepay).
The Weston Homes stadium is a rough 20-25 minute walk from the train station, walking through the quaint city centre in the process. The signage is prominent and the location of the stadium is clearly marked. There should be a police officer handy to offer you directions if you do get lost.
Having arrived at Peterborough early and with 3 hours to kill before kick-off, I decided to explore the city centre. Peterborough is known as a cathedral city and so I figured that it would be best to locate this grand church, which peeks out over the city's stunning architecture. The cathedral is free to enter and it is worth gazing at the majestic artwork and stunning interior within this fine building. Peterborough Cathedral is also the resting place of such historic figures as Mary Queen of Scots and Catherine of Aragon and is an important relic, shrouded in rich history from the Tudor times.
Anyway, back to the football...
Upon walking to the stadium, the Derby crowd were in full force, the Rams bleating out, "Derby are massive, wherever we go!" drowning out the idyllic ambience that you feel this city offers on a typical day. This was an atypical day though, and a fixture where the bellows of the Derby faithful were more than justified. The Rams, under Paul Warne, were enduring rocky form and clinging onto the playoff spots on 5th with 64 points. Peterborough on the other hand were lurking just outside with 60 points. A win for the Posh would place them in uncomfortable territory for the Derbyshire side, whereas a win for the Rams would see them three clear of Bolton, the team that occupied the last playoff spot. I was chatting to one of the stewards prior to the kick-off, who was slightly pessimistic about his teams chances, "I'm not sure if we can win," he said, "I'm hoping we do of course, but it will be very difficult." I suggested that a 2-1 win for the Posh was on the cards but the steward didn't seem to want to commit to a prediction in return.
When watching the players warm up, one particular player caught my eye as his shots continuously thundered off his boot, fizzing into the back of the net at breakneck pace. I looked at my programme and back at the player to see which shirt number he was wearing. "Number 9" I said to myself, which is the number of Jonson Clarke-Harris, the league's top scorer and the team's captain.
As the whistle blew, I recognised quite a few of the players donning the burgundy red strip the away side were wearing. Conor Hourihane, David McGoldrick, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, these were players who were plying their trade in the top division just a couple of years ago. On the wing they had Lewis Dobbin, a promising youngster on loan from Everton.
In the first half, it was the Rams who gave the Posh a bit of a battering. Moments of naïve defending created half chances for Derby which they would have capitalised on had the decision making been better. Thankfully for Peterborough United, Will Norris was alert to several situations, mopping up crosses and through balls confidently, though he did take his time with his goal kicks much to the chagrin of the home support. Whilst Derby were playing well and moving the ball through Peterborough's midfield like a knife through butter, there were moments of carelessness from the Rams. Miscontrolled and underhit passes which, had the Posh been pressing from the off, the home side may have carved an opportunity out of, however they were more than happy to sit back and soak up pressure. The first half ended 0-0 with a couple of half chances from Derby but a game that appeared to be one that was going to be decided on fine margins.
Derby are however, known as being a team who lose their intensity in the second half...
Manager Darren Ferguson made a couple of changes at the half time break and these changes proved to be the catalyst that allowed the Posh to grab the opening goal, with Ephron Mason-Clarke slaloming his way past the Derby defence, his legs rotating like a swivel chair to bamboozle the last lone defender before firing it past Joe Wildsmith's near post. A good goal that caused Peter Burrows, the Peterborough mascot, to whizz down the line swinging his carrot around. They say carrots give you good vision, which is what man-of-the-match Nathaneal Ogbeta displayed all game. The man on loan from Swansea was making piercing runs through the heart of defence, was dropping back into defence to spray first time balls over the wing and produced a stinging drive which goalkeeper Wildsmith matched with an equally impressive save. Watching Ogbeta play so many positions with such confidence was reminiscent of watching a Manchester City player play under the influence of Pep Guardiola, so it was no surprise to me to hear that he came through City's youth academy. And it was Ogbeta who sealed the deal, tapping in a shot spilled by Joe Wildsmith to bring the three points home, with Burrows swinging the carrot around with such ferocity down the touchline it was enough to blow a gale. I'm surprised the bunny didn't fly!
Overall, this was a game of two halves. Part of me thinks that the way Peterborough played in the first half was to preserve energy so that they could play with more intensity when Derby's legs tired and they could go for the jugular. This win took Peterborough 1 point below Derby and within reach of a playoff spot, leaving Derby and their fans feeling very small.
Peterborough 2-0 Derby 25/03/2023
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