Tims 92

Peterborough United

London Road

Ground No. 3 (return visit)

Visited - Saturday 15th April 2006
Result - Peterborough United 0-1 Boston United
Competition - Coca-Cola League 2
Attendance - 5092

Partly for nostalgia, partly to get pictures/see the ground, I’d been considering going back to London Road for quite some time, with it being over 12 years since my last (and only) visit. That trip had been quite significant in that it was my first ever away game, so with memories sketchy of what the ground was actually like, I was looking forward to seeing a ground that although it counted towards the 92, felt like one I hadn’t visited!

Another reason for a return trip was to see the away end, the Moyes Terrace, to not only experience one of the last few big terraces left in England, but also to see if it was how I remembered it, so when the news came through that Peterborough were considering replacing it with a new, all-seated stand, then I was stirred into action, and booked tickets in advance for the local derby with Boston.

With Wolves having played on the Good Friday, this was a free day, so I set off in a good mood, taking advantage of a cheap offer on the trains. The one downside of the cheap train fare, was that it was only available on an early train, so after leaving Wolverhampton at around about 7am, changing in Birmingham, we arrived into Peterborough a lot earlier than I’d have liked, at just gone 10am.

After leaving the station, the walk down to the ground didn’t take long, and having going around the outside, I was able to get inside the ground and have a free reign to take pictures. Looking around, it seemed that there had been very little change at the ground since I was last there, with the only modifications in the three older stands being that the fences that had restricted my view of our winner, had been torn down. The one major change though, was to the side where previously had stood a small, open terrace running the length of the pitch, which now saw the impressive South Stand towering over the other sides of the ground. With two fair sized tiers of seating, separated by a layer of executive boxes, it was easily the best stand at the ground. Opposite, was the older, all-seated Main Stand. This was much like I’d remembered it with an upper and lower section of seating that was covered by an imposing roof. Behind both goals were two identical terraces, both being of a fair size, with room for about 4000 each. The only difference between the two seemed to be at the rear, where with slightly more space behind, the Moyes End featured entrances/exits to the rear, as well as halfway up. Both of these terraces were covered by low roofs, which, as seen later, created a perfect environment for even small numbers to make a lot of noise from.

Having taken enough pictures, I eventually left the ground, stopping off in the club shop, before walking back into town, spending the next few hours there, prior to coming back to the ground and finally going in again, with half an hour to spare before kick-off.

With the majority of Boston fans already in, they seemed to have bought a fair few more than when I saw them last season at Chester, and with it being a local derby, the atmosphere was quite good, especially by the time the players had taken to the pitch, with the aforementioned low roof playing its part in helping the visitors create a lot of noise.

After a while, the game eventually got started, with the teams changing ends first of all. Unfortunately, despite Peterborough needing to win, to stay in touch with the play-offs, they never really got going, and with Boston not in any apparent urgency to trouble the home side, the first half really was dire. Despite this, Peterborough looked the most likely to break the deadlock, but for some poor skill shown by their strikers on the few occasions they got into the box. Boston had a good chance with a free-kick halfway through, but again, never seriously tested the goalkeeper, so when the referee blew his whistle for half-time, it was somewhat of a relief to see the half come to a conclusion.

In the second half, despite having to make an early substitution, Boston seemed to get more into it, so it was no great surprise when they took the lead on 69 minutes. Following a cross from the left hand side, the ball had bounced off a Peterborough defender, landing at the feet of Jamie Clarke, who smashed it home from about 12 yards out, giving the visitors the advantage. This seemed to stir the home side into action, and with time running out, they started to put pressure on the Boston goal, but with Paul Ellender in particular, looking impressive, the ball never fell for Peterborough, so despite holding on by the end, the ‘Bostonshire’ side ran out 1-0 winners.

Throughout the game, the atmosphere from the home fans had been slightly subdued, not that it was helped by large sections of seats being unused, which was sad to see, (especially as this was one of their bigger attendances this year), but buoyed by the win, the Boston fans helped make a good amount of noise from their end.

After leaving the ground, the walk back through town, and to the station didn’t take long, and after a bit of a wait, I was soon back on a train to Birmingham, before making a quick change, and getting home in good time.

Overall, it had been a good day out, and especially good to see the ground again. Despite it being disappointing to see the empty spaces, the ground is a real classic, and was a lot better than I’d actually remembered it. The new South Stand has certainly helped round it off, making it more enclosed, and giving it a more modern feel than before. It will be a shame if they do lose the Moyes Terrace, so hopefully the stand that replaces it will be a worthy successor, otherwise it could really spoil what is one of the most well balanced grounds in the lower leagues.