Nene derby

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 77 competitive matches between the two teams, with 36 wins for Peterborough, 22 wins for Northampton and 19 draws.^[1]

Nene derby

Location	East of England East Midlands
Teams	Northampton Town Peterborough United
First meeting	Peterborough 2–3 Northampton (29 September 1936) 1936–37 Maunsell Cup
Latest meeting	Peterborough 5–1 Northampton (5 March 2024) 2023–24 League One
Next meeting	Northampton v Peterborough (9 December 2024) 2024–25 League One
Stadiums	Sixfields Stadium (Northampton Town) London Road (Peterborough United)
Statistics
Meetings total	Total: 103 Official: 77
Most wins	Total: Peterborough (47) Official: Peterborough (36)
Most player appearances	Official: Tommy Robson (18) Overall: Tommy Robson (22)
Top scorer	Official: Jim Hall (8) Overall: Jim Hall (9)
All-time record	Total: Peterborough: 47 Draw: 25 Northampton: 31 Official: Peterborough: 36 Draw: 19 Northampton: 22
Northampton Town Peterborough United

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

Early matches

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 scoring 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

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

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

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

League

No.[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

No.[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

No.[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

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

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	Jim Hall	Northampton/Peterborough	1963–1967 (N) 1967–1975 (P) 1965–1978 (N)	7	1	0	0	8
2	Peter McNamee	Peterborough	1955–1965	5	0	0	0	5
	Tommy Robson	Northampton/Peterborough	1961–1966 (N) 1969–1981 (P)	3	2	0	0
	Ian Benjamin	Peterborough/Northampton	1982–1984 (P) 1984–1987 (N)	2	1	0	2
	Archie Garrett	Northampton	1946–1947	0	5	0	0
6	Errington Kelly	Peterborough	1984–1986 1987–1988	4	0	0	0	4
	John Cozens	Peterborough	1973–1978	4	0	0	0
	John Fairbrother	Peterborough/Northampton	1965–1968 (P) 1968–1971 (N)	3	0	1	0
	Phil Chard	Peterborough/Northampton	1978–1985 (P) 1985–1988 (N) 1989–1994 (N)	2	0	1	1

Most appearances

As of 5 March 2024.

Official Apps. Rank Player Club Apps 1 Tommy Robson Northampton Peterborough 18 2 Phil Chard Peterborough Northampton 15 3 Jim Hall Northampton Peterborough 14 Wakeley Gage Northampton Peterborough 5 Ian Benjamin Peterborough Northampton 13 Peter Gleasure Northampton 7 Graham Felton Northampton 12 Trevor Quow Peterborough Northampton Trevor Slack Peterborough Northampton 10 Jack Carmichael Peterborough 11 11 Barry Tucker Northampton 10 David Farrell Peterborough Mark Tyler Peterborough Mick Drewery Peterborough

Including Minor & Regional Apps. Rank Player Club Apps 1 Tommy Robson Northampton Peterborough 22 2 Phil Chard Peterborough Northampton 15 Jim Hall Northampton Peterborough 4 Wakeley Gage Northampton Peterborough 14 5 Ian Benjamin Peterborough Northampton 13 Peter Gleasure Northampton 7 Graham Felton Northampton 12 Trevor Quow Peterborough Northampton Trevor Slack Peterborough Northampton 10 Jack Carmichael Peterborough 11 Barry Tucker Northampton

Hat-tricks

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

Notes

• ⁴ = 4 goals scored; (H) = Home, (A) = Away, (N) = Neutral location

Records

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

Results

Biggest wins (5+ goals)

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

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

Most consecutive wins

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

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

Games	Period
7	21 April 1949 – 1 October 1959
	14 September 1986 – 12 November 1994

Longest undefeated runs

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

Games	Club	Period
4	Peterborough	24 April 1984 – 21 August 1985

Most consecutive games scoring

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

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. "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.