A Look Into Histories

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE

PETERBOROUGH UNITED’S LAST NON LEAGUE HOME MATCH

It was a long time before a proper Pyramid structure would come into place and in the time of Amateur and Professional soccer, the main semi-professional leagues were the Southern, Midland and Lancashire Combination. The Midland League in season 1959-60 would have in it constitution, eight teams from the North East, three Yorkshire and only five that could be truly defined as the Midlands. One such was Peterborough United who won the Championship every year since 1955 thus being the dominant force.

Peterborough United were an extremely progressive club and concentrated, not just with success on the field but in the infrastructure such as their stadium and a number of friendlies were arranged with higher opposition thus gaining many friends when it came to re-election time and at the end of season 1959-60 having won the Midland League yet again, three points ahead of North Shields, the Football League clubs that voted were tired of travelling to Gateshead where attendances were so low they never got a cut of the gate money as was the norm for the away club in those days and Peterborough United were very much the team in favour with over 9,000 average attendances, a 30,000 capacity modern stadium, £16,000 floodlights, unveiled that season with a 1-1 draw against Arsenal and an £100,000 grandstand plus 25 professional players. In contrast, Gateshead hadn’t even finished bottom with both Oldham Athletic and Hartlepools United six points behind them and Southport above. On Re-election day at the AGM of the Football League at the Cafe Royal on May 28th 1960, Oldham Athletic got 39, Peterborough, at their 21st attempt, 35 (having just lost out by 5 votes the season before), Hartlepools United 34, Southport 29 and Gateshead failing with just 18 votes. Headington Utd (to become Oxford Utd) got 10, Chelmsford 3 and Romford 2. 13 other clubs took part. (Ref: Non League matters).

Our Match Programme is for the final Midland League home game v Consett on April 30th 1960 with a 5-2 result thus finishing with a 100% Home record. It was their 6th game in a period of two weeks and Norman Rigby made his 350th appearance. There would be one final game, a testimonial v Sunderland (0-1). With a large photo of their impressive London Road ground on the cover the Club Chatter conveyed the news that their opponents like most North Eastern clubs would be leaving the Midland League for more localised football. Peterborough knew that by the final whistle another Championship would come their way and the side did not disappoint with a 5-3 win thanks to two from Peter McNamee, and one apiece to Jimmy Sheavills, Jim Rayner and Billy Hails. Burridge scored three for Consett.

The other programme in my collection, priced 6d is for an away match at Millwall on April 22nd 1961. I was 13 years old and already a big football fan visiting the Arsenal, Enfield and Barnet more than any other but on this day and thanks to helping with a United Dairies Milk round I went by a bus “Red Rover” from my home in Southgate to the Den, paid my 9d entry and joined 18,502 others to mainly see Peterborough United who were having an incredible first season leading the 4th Division from the start and about to accumulate a record 134 goals. In a brilliant game Millwall were party poopers, securing a 4-3 win thus delaying the “Posh” a certain championship for one more week but in that time you could rent a “Defiant” TV for 8/6d a week from the Royal Arsenal Co-op or visit New Cross Stadium for the Greyhound Racing.