Nene derby

Nene derby
LocationEast of England
East Midlands
TeamsNorthampton Town
Peterborough United
First meetingPeterborough 2–3 Northampton
(29 September 1936)
1936–37 Maunsell Cup
Latest meetingPeterborough 5–1 Northampton
(5 March 2024)
2023–24 League One
Next meetingNorthampton v Peterborough
(7 December 2024)
2024–25 League One
StadiumsSixfields Stadium (Northampton Town)
London Road (Peterborough United)
Statistics
Meetings totalTotal: 103
Official: 77
Most winsTotal: Peterborough (47)
Official: Peterborough (36)
Most player appearancesOfficial:
Tommy Robson (18)
Overall:
Tommy Robson (22)
Top scorerOfficial:
Jim Hall (8)
Overall:
Jim Hall (9)
All-time recordTotal:
Peterborough: 47
Draw: 25
Northampton: 31
Official:
Peterborough: 36
Draw: 19
Northampton: 22
Nene derby is located in the East Midlands
Northampton Town
Northampton Town
Peterborough United
Peterborough United

The Nene derby is the name of the association football local rivalry in England between Northampton Town and Peterborough United, both of which are based along the River Nene. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be one of their main rivals. The first competitive match between the two clubs took place in 1946 but the first professional derby took place in 1960. As of 5 March 2024, there has been 76 competitive matches between the two teams, with 36 wins for Peterborough, 22 wins for Northampton and 19 draws.[1]

The derby has never been played higher than the third tier of English football with 57 league matches, 7 FA Cup matches, 5 League Cup matches and 6 EFL Trophy matches. The most recent game took place in League One and resulted in a 5–1 win for Peterborough.

In total, the derby has been played 104 times, including minor/regional league and cup games, with 15 Maunsell Cup matches (5 times in the final), 11 Northants Senior Cup matches (5 times in the final) and 1 London Midweek League match. They have also played 6 friendlies.

Northampton play their home games at Sixfields Stadium, while Peterborough play at London Road Stadium. The two stadiums are approximately 37 miles (60 km) apart.

History

[edit]

Early matches

[edit]

The first match between two clubs took place in the final of 1936–37 Maunsell Cup at London Road and ended in a 3–2 away victory for Northampton Town. The first official competitive game took place in the second round of 1946–47 FA Cup at London Road and ended in a 1–1 draw, forcing a replay at Northampton Town's County Ground which also ended in another 1-1 draw. The second replay was played on a neutral venue at Highfield Road, Coventry, where Northampton won 8–1 and this victory still stands as the largest victory and the highest scroing match in the history of the derby.

Peterborough United won the Midland Football League five times in a row between 1956 and 1960 before being accepted into the Football League ahead of the 1960–61 season. First ever derby was played in the league for the first time in that season, with the first game ending in a 3–3 draw and the return fixture ending in a 0–3 win for Peterborough. Both teams were promoted to the Third Division as Peterborough won the league and Northampton finished third. Both teams played in the Third Division for the next two seasons before Northampton were promoted as champions in 1962–63 season.

The two teams did not play each other in the league again until the 1967–68 Third Division after Northampton's run in the second and first tier.

1980s

[edit]

Peterborough were relegated into the Fourth Division ahead of the 1979–80 season. Both teams played in the Fourth Division for eight consecutive seasons until Northampton were promoted as champions in the 1986–87 season. The derby was also played twice in the FA Cup and twice in the League Cup during this period, bringing the total to twenty matches in eight years. The biggest victory over this period was a 6–0 home victory for Peterborough on 24 April 1984. Northampton recorded a 0–5 away victory on 12 October 1985.

Recent years

[edit]

In the 2019–20 season, Peterborough finished seventh in League One whilst Northampton won the League Two play-offs, meaning that the Nene derby returned for the 2020-21 League One season. Following Northampton's promotion, Peterborough United chairman, Darragh MacAnthony congratulated them and referred to the derby as "The one real 'local' rivalry I've experienced in 15 years at Posh."[2] The first derby of the season was played two days after the death of Tommy Robson, Peterborough's record appearance maker who started his career with Northampton, and was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Peterborough won the match 0–2 with goals scored by Nathan Thompson and Reece Brown.[3] The second league derby of the season was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 17 April 2021, however, all English football matches on that day were rescheduled as a mark of respect for the funeral of Prince Philip.[4][5]

Rivalry

[edit]

While the proximity of the clubs was the main root of the rivalry between Northampton Town and Peterborough United, other events have fueled the division. Most notable among these are the violent confrontations between fans, famously the "Battle of Abington Park" in April 1974 when approximately 500 fans clashed before, during and after a derby. An eyewitness was quoted as saying "It was like a battle scene from a film where everyone converged to carry out personal duels. I have never seen anything like it." Some of the evidence presented in the court case that followed included "Sticks with nails embedded in the end, part of a brick, broken bottles, a large beer can and a pint mug."[6]

Aside from fan violence, animosity has arisen over transfers between the clubs with Northampton fans accusing Peterborough of poaching players. It has been said that "Northampton fans have never forgiven Peterborough for taking star strikers Tony Adcock and Bobby Barnes when the Cobblers were cash strapped."[7] This, however, has not stopped players from crossing the divide. Gabriel Zakuani, for example, signed for Northampton in 2016 after making 252 appearances for Peterborough.[8]

List of derbies

[edit]

League

[edit]
#[9] Season Date Competition Stadium Home Team Result Away Team Att. H2H
1 1960–61 8 October 1960 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–3 Northampton 22,959 0
2 25 February 1961 County Ground Northampton 0–3 Peterborough 19,516 +1
3 1961–62 28 October 1961 Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 17,324 +1
4 17 March 1962 London Road Peterborough 0–2 Northampton 17,009 0
5 1962–63 1 September 1962 Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–3 Peterborough 16,064 +1
6 11 May 1963 London Road Peterborough 0–4 Northampton 17,518 0
7 1967–68 23 April 1968 Division 3 County Ground Northampton 3–1 Peterborough 8,934 +1
8 4 May 1968 London Road Peterborough 4–0 Northampton 6,658 0
9 1969–70 17 September 1969 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,557 +1
10 14 April 1970 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 6,732 +1
11 1970–71 10 November 1970 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–0 Peterborough 8,190 0
12 20 February 1971 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,068 +1
13 1971–72 5 February 1972 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 5,186 +1
14 8 April 1972 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,480 +2
15 1972–73 28 August 1972 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 2–3 Northampton 3,627 +1
16 28 April 1973 County Ground Northampton 1–3 Peterborough 2,441 +2
17 1973–74 17 November 1973 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 10,351 +3
18 12 April 1974 County Ground Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 11,378 +4
19 1976–77 2 November 1976 Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 7,483 +4
20 12 April 1977 London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 8,944 +5
21 1979–80 22 September 1979 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 3,678 +4
22 9 February 1980 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 4,960 +4
23 1980–81 26 December 1980 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 6,265 +5
24 21 April 1981 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 3,800 +5
25 1981–82 28 November 1981 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,293 +6
26 24 April 1982 County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 4,975 +5
27 1982–83 30 October 1982 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 0–0 Peterborough 3,284 +5
28 12 March 1983 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 3,778 +6
29 1983–84 27 December 1983 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 6,464 +5
30 24 April 1984 London Road Peterborough 6–0 Northampton 3,481 +6
31 1984–85 26 December 1984 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 0–3 Peterborough 4,350 +7
32 2 April 1985 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 2,482 +7
33 1985–86 12 October 1985 Division 4 London Road Peterborough 0–5 Northampton 3,866 +6
34 15 March 1986 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 3,332 +6
35 1986–87 14 September 1986 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 5,517 +5
36 31 January 1987 London Road Peterborough 0–1 Northampton 7,911 +4
37 1990–91 22 September 1990 Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–2 Peterborough 5,572 +5
38 5 February 1991 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,932 +6
39 1999–2000 14 August 1999 Division 3 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 6,253 +7
40 15 January 2000 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 9,104 +8
41 2000–01 23 December 2000 Division 2 London Road Peterborough 1–2 Northampton 9,868 +7
42 27 January 2001 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–0 Peterborough 7,079 +7
43 2001–02 7 October 2001 Division 2 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 8,101 +8
44 19 February 2002 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 6,064 +7
45 2002–03 28 December 2002 Division 2 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 7,767 +7
46 25 January 2003 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 5,906 +8
47 2005–06 21 December 2005 League Two Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 7,023 +9
48 1 April 2006 London Road Peterborough 0–1 Northampton 8,637 +8
49 2008–09 13 September 2008 League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 6,520 +8
50 14 March 2009 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,881 +9
51 2016–17 18 October 2016 League One London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 9,172 +10
52 19 November 2016 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 7,675 +11
53 2017–18 26 August 2017 League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–4 Peterborough 6,685 +12
54 2 April 2018 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 8,619 +13
55 2020–21 10 October 2020 League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–2 Peterborough 0[a] +14
56 16 April 2021 London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 0[b] +15
57 2023–24 19 August 2023 League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 7,684 +14
58 5 March 2024 London Road Peterborough 5–1 Northampton 9,028 +15
  1. ^ Played behind closed doors COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. ^ Played behind closed doors COVID-19 pandemic.

Cup

[edit]
#[9] Season Date Competition Round Stadium Home Team Result Away Team Att.
1 1946–47 14 December 1946 FA Cup Second round London Road Peterborough 1–1 Northampton 7,793
2 19 December 1946 Second round replay County Ground Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 6,800
3 23 December 1946 Second round 2nd replay Highfield Road Peterborough 1–8 Northampton 3,618
4 1966–67 14 September 1966 League Cup Second round County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 5,778
5 26 September 1966 Second round replay London Road Peterborough 0–2 Northampton 9,484
6 1967–68 23 August 1967 League Cup First round London Road Peterborough 2–3 Northampton 8,157
7 1972–73 18 November 1972 FA Cup First round London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 7,815
8 1980–81 22 November 1980 FA Cup First round County Ground Northampton 1–4 Peterborough 5,542
9 1982–83 21 August 1982 EFL Trophy Group stage London Road Peterborough 5–2 Northampton 2,197
10 1985–86 21 August 1985 League Cup First round 1st leg London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 3,117
11 3 September 1985 First round 2nd leg County Ground Northampton 2–0 Peterborough 2,464
12 1986–87 16 November 1986 FA Cup First round County Ground Northampton 3–0 Peterborough 9,114
13 1988–89 21 December 1988 EFL Trophy Group stage London Road Peterborough 0–2 Northampton 1,754
14 1994–95 12 November 1994 FA Cup First round London Road Peterborough 4–0 Northampton 8,739
15 1995–96 16 October 1995 EFL Trophy Group stage London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 3,045
16 1997–98 27 January 1998 EFL Trophy Quarter-finals London Road Peterborough 2–1 Northampton 5,516
17 2003–04 9 December 2003 EFL Trophy Quarter-finals Sixfields Stadium Northampton 2–1[a] Peterborough 4,290
18 2017–18 3 November 2017 EFL Trophy Group stage London Road Peterborough 1–1 Northampton 2,745
19 2019–20 3 September 2019 EFL Trophy Group stage Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–2 Peterborough 2,234
  1. ^ Match went to extra-time.

Minor/Regional tournaments

[edit]
#[9] Season Date Competition Round Stadium Home Team Result Away Team Att.
1 1936–37 29 April 1937 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 2–3 Northampton 2,996
2 1937–38 28 April 1938 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 0–4 Northampton 2,394
3 1938–39 17 April 1939 Maunsell Cup Semi-finals County Ground Northampton 3–1 Peterborough 393
4 1947–48 12 April 1948 Maunsell Cup Semi-final London Road Peterborough 5–1 Northampton 7,606
5 1948–49 4 April 1948 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton –
6 21 April 1949 Final replay County Ground Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 1,504
7 1949–50 17 April 1950 Maunsell Cup – County Ground Northampton 0–0 Peterborough 3,000
8 1952–53 1 May 1953 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 1–2 Northampton 8,753
9 1953–54 29 April 1954 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 2–1 Northampton 9,776
10 1954–55 21 April 1955 Maunsell Cup London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,784
11 1956–57 15 April 1957 Maunsell Cup Semi-finals London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 7,975
12 1959–60 1 October 1959 Maunsell Cup – County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 1,686
13 1960–61 1 May 1960 Northants Senior Cup Final London Road Peterborough 4–1 Northampton 10,470
14 1961–62 9 April 1962 Northants Senior Cup Final London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 4,991
15 1962–63 29 April 1963 Northants Senior Cup Semi-final County Ground Northampton 2–0 Peterborough –
16 1963–64 27 April 1964 Northants Senior Cup Final London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton –
17 1964–65 31 March 1965 Northants Senior Cup Semi-finals County Ground Northampton 0–2 Peterborough 3,370
18 1965–66 23 May 1965 Northants Senior Cup – London Road Peterborough 0–1 Northampton –
19 1967–68 29 April 1968 Northants Senior Cup Final County Ground Northampton 0–2 Peterborough –
20 1970–71 25 August 1980 Northants Senior Cup – County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough –
21 1973–74 26 February 1974 Northants Senior Cup Semi-finals County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough –
22 11 March 1974 Semi-finals replay London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 7,683
23 1974–75 3 February 1975 Northants Senior Cup Final County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough –
24 1977–78 17 October 1977 Maunsell Cup Final London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 995
25 1978–79 30 October 1978 Maunsell Cup – London Road Peterborough 4–1 Northampton –
26 1979–80 14 November 1979 Maunsell Cup – London Road Peterborough 1–1 Northampton –

Statistics

[edit]
As of 5 March 2024.[9]
Competition Played Northampton wins Draws Peterborough wins Northampton goals Peterborough goals
Major Competitions
League 58 15 13 30 54 89
FA Cup 7 2 2 3 14 12
League Cup 5 3 2 0 9 4
EFL Trophy 7 2 2 3 8 11
Total 77 22 19 36 86 117
Minor/Regional Competitions
Maunsell Cup 15 6 3 6 21 24
Northants Cup 11 3 3 5 10 17
Total 26 9 6 11 31 41
Overall Total 103 31 25 47 117 158

Top goal-scorers

[edit]
Official major competitions
As of 5 March 2024. Only goals scored in official major competitions.
Rank Player Club(s) Years League FA Cup League
Cup 		EFL
Trophy 		Overall
1 England Jim Hall Northampton/Peterborough 1963–1967 (N)
1967–1975 (P)
1965–1978 (N) 		7 1 0 0 8
2 Scotland Peter McNamee Peterborough 1955–1965 5 0 0 0 5
England Tommy Robson Northampton/Peterborough 1961–1966 (N)
1969–1981 (P) 		3 2 0 0
England Ian Benjamin Peterborough/Northampton 1982–1984 (P)
1984–1987 (N) 		2 1 0 2
Scotland Archie Garrett Northampton 1946–1947 0 5 0 0
6 EnglandSaint Vincent and the Grenadines Errington Kelly Peterborough 1984–1986
1987–1988 		4 0 0 0 4
England John Cozens Peterborough 1973–1978 4 0 0 0
England John Fairbrother Peterborough/Northampton 1965–1968 (P)
1968–1971 (N) 		3 0 1 0
England Phil Chard Peterborough/Northampton 1978–1985 (P)
1985–1988 (N)
1989–1994 (N) 		2 0 1 1

Most appearances

[edit]
As of 5 March 2024.

Hat-tricks

[edit]
Player For Score Date Competition Stadium Ref.
Scotland Archie Garrett4 Northampton 1–8 (N) 23 December 1946 1946–47 FA Cup Highfield Road [10]
England Colin Garwood Peterborough 4–0 (H) 4 May 1968 1967–68 Third Division London Road [11]

Notes

Records

[edit]
  • Friendly matches are not included in the following records unless otherwise noted.

Results

[edit]

Biggest wins (5+ goals)

[edit]
Winning margin Result Date Competition
7 Peterborough 1–8 Northampton 23 December 1946 1946–47 FA Cup
6 Peterborough 6–0 Northampton 24 April 1983 1983–84 Fourth Division
5 Peterborough 0–5 Northampton 12 October 1985 1985–86 Fourth Division

Most total goals in a match

[edit]
Goals Result Date Competition
9 Peterborough 1–8 Northampton 23 December 1946 1946–47 FA Cup
7 Peterborough 5–2 Northampton 21 August 1982 1982–83 EFL Trophy
6 Peterborough 4–2 Northampton 12 January 1939 1938–39 London Midweek League
Peterborough 5–1 Northampton 12 April 1948 1947–48 Maunsell Cup
Peterborough 3–3 Northampton 8 August 1960 1960–61 Fourth Division
Peterborough 6–0 Northampton 24 April 1984 1983–84 Fourth Division
Peterborough 5–1 Northampton 5 March 2024 2023–24 League One

Longest runs

[edit]
Most consecutive wins
[edit]
Games Club Period
4 Northampton 14 September 1986 – 21 December 1988
Peterborough 14 March 2009 – 26 August 2017
Peterborough 2 April 2018 – 16 April 2021
Most consecutive draws
[edit]
Games Period
2 14 December 1946 – 19 December 1946
14 April 1970 – 25 August 1970
14 November 1979 – 9 February 1980
2 April 1985 – 21 August 1985
Most consecutive matches without a draw
[edit]
Games Period
7 21 April 1949 – 1 October 1959
14 September 1986 – 12 November 1994
Longest undefeated runs
[edit]
Games Club Period
9 Peterborough 14 March 2009 – 16 April 2021
7 Northampton 3 September 1985 – 21 December 1988
Peterborough 22 September 1990 – 15 January 2000
Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal
[edit]
Games Club Period
4 Peterborough 24 April 1984 – 21 August 1985
Most consecutive games scoring
[edit]
Games Club Period
10 Peterborough 20 February 1971 – 12 April 1974
Peterborough 13 September 2008 – 16 April 2021
8 Northampton 3 September 1985 – 22 September 1990

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Peterborough United football club: record v Northampton Town". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Peterborough United congratulate Cobblers on promotion (and not just because Posh usually beat them)!". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Northampton 0-2 Peterborough: Posh see off Cobblers". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Local Derby Clash With Cobblers Moved". www.theposh.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  5. ^ "PETERBOROUGH GAME TO TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY EVENING". www.ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ Nicholls, Andy; Lowles, Nick (12 June 2007). Hooligans 2: The M-Z of Britain's Football Hooligan Gangs. Milo Books Ltd.
  7. ^ "Gripped by the Cobblers: MK match is no local derby – you need history for a derby". The NeneQuirer. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Gabriel Zakuani: Northampton Town close to signing ex-Peterborough defender". BBC Sport. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d "Results". The Posh Trust. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Peterborough United 1–8 Northampton Town". The Posh Trust. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Peterborough United 4–0 Northampton Town". The Posh Trust. The Posh Supporters Trust. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
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