The football league season has come to an end, and there was promotion for Peterborough United and Cambridge United.
The county can celebrate promotion glory as both teams finished runners-up in their respective leagues. Posh claimed second spot in League One while Cambridge United finished in second place in League Two.
Promotion for Posh
Posh secured their promotion in the penultimate game of the season courtesy of a 3-3 draw against Lincoln City. The match was full of drama. Posh came from three goals down to claim the all-important point that secured promotion. The equalising goal came in the sixth minute of injury time courtesy of a penalty from league top scorer Johnson Clarke-Harris.
It was nothing more than Posh deserved as they were denied a place in the end of season play-offs last year when the League One campaign was decided on points per game due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Success for the U’s
Cambridge United finished off a fantastic season with the runners-up spot in League Two. The U’s had been in and around the promotion spots for most of the season but left it until the last day of the campaign when they beat Grimsby at the Abbey Stadium to secure promotion.
For much of the campaign, the U’s were indebted to the goals of Paul Mullin. He finished as League Two top scorer with 32 goals, a tally that earned him the Player of the Season award for the division.
Looking Forward
Both teams will now be looking forward to the new season. Peterborough will be mixing it with the likes of Sheffield United, Derby County and Coventry City. Meanwhile, the U’s will be looking forward to clashes against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham. Not forgetting a mouth-watering local derby against Ipswich Town.
What both teams will look forward to more than ever will be the return of fans to stadiums. The 2020/21 season will go down in history as the year that most of the campaign was played behind closed doors. But for football in Cambridgeshire, it will go down as one of the most successful as the county celebrates a double promotion for its two professional teams.
WORDS Andrew Dunn