Football Season Review

Peterborough United achieved promotion straight back to the Championship after their relegation the previous season - but not without drama. They started the season under the guidance of Gary Johnson, and, despite managing to hover around the promotion places during his time in charge, never really managed to give their fans a feeling of confidence. They had been playing some fantastic attacking football but also saw sides score against them for fun, which is the reason why they were both the highest scoring side and the side with the worst defensive record in the division until midway through the season. Despite the side not being far away from the top six, the board opted to part ways with Johnson and bring back Darren Ferguson only a year after the promising manager left London Road. It proved to have been a match made in heaven: many of the supporters have already given up on the promotion by the time Ferguson took over, as important striker Aaron McLean was sold to Hull. But Ferguson proved that he knows the club inside out, steadying the ship and helping the Posh tighten their defence, without showing a drop in their scoring statistics. Despite all the good form shown under Ferguson, Peterborough were ultimately unable to overcome Southampton, and ended fourth on the table. They beat MK Dons in a dramatic semi- final clash before scoring three goals in seven minutes against Huddersfield to claim their return to the Championship at the first time of asking with an emphatic win over the Terriers. Once again, Ferguson will be deservedly hailed as the mastermind of Peterborough's promotion, but the horrible experience from their 2009/10 Championship campaign and the impending departure of Craig Mackail-Smith both suggest that the Posh have a lot of work to do during the summer if they are to compete in the second tier.

Player of the Season: Craig Mackail-Smith