Venue - Wembley Stadium

Date - Sunday May 24 1992

Event -3rd Div play off final

Hail King Kenny of London Road and Wembley!

Two goals from star striker Ken Charlery turned a momentous Posh season into a glorious celebration. Wembley was a fitting stage for this proud and plucky Posh side to celebrate their greatest triumph.

A 2-1 play-off victory over Stockport, achieved in the most dramatic fashion, has ensured a Posh appearance in the upper echelons of English football for the first time in their history. It's the latest chapter in an unbelievable Posh story. One and a half years of uninterrupted success culminating in a place in the newly formed first division! And they did it in a manner which has become their trademark this season.

When disaster loomed, the team with the biggest heart in football picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and claimed the biggest success of their lives. And what a way to clinch it! Charlery's match winner scored in the last minute of normal time would have graced any final of any competition in the world. It was the one classy moment of a tense occasion littered with long balls and sweaty collisions but it was worth the wait. Marcus Ebdon's raking 30 yard pass found King Ken rampaging down the right. A regal nod of the head took the ball past the last defender and the perfect lob from 12 yards flew over Stockport goalkeeper Neil Edwards. It was a magnificent goal all the more creditable as it happened just two minutes after Stockport thought they had taken the game into extra time.

Substitute Paul Wheeler picked up a hopeful punt forward and laid the ball perfectly into the path of Andy Preece wide on the right side of the box. Preece's firmly struck shot slipped through the grasp of Posh keeper Fred Barber leaving Kevin Francis the simplest header into an empty net, Barber for one kneeled to Charlery at the finish. High drama at the death gave an edge to a match spoilt possibly by the rewards on offer.

Posh started brightly with Bobby Barnes threatening mayhem whenever he was in possession. Much of the action by-passed Mick Halsall and Marcus Ebdon in the Posh midfield leaving wingers Barnes and Sterling as spectators. Barnes, regularly found early on by Ebdon, had the first two shots of the game seeing a vicious effort deflected wide on nine minutes before blasting narrowly over two minutes later.

Charlery wasted Posh's best chance of the opening half volleying over with his left foot from eight yards after Sterling nodded down Noel Luke's cross. But Stockport grew stronger as the half wore on. Posh, probably sensibly, chose to defend deeper than normal allowing 6ft 7ins Francis to flick the ball on in the hope of picking up an undirected ball first. It worked mostly, but pressure on Posh peaked in the final five minutes of the half when a string of corners were forced. From the first, initially cleared, centre back Tony Barras headed wide from an unmarked position on the six yard line.

But Posh generally defended well, Luke timed his tackles to perfection, Dave Robinson was his usual superb self, Steve Welsh battled manfully, while Ronnie Robinson chose the greatest occasion to give his best display in Posh colours. The second half opened quietly apart from Sterling picking up Charlery's headed flick and drilling a left footer straight at the keeper.

But the game erupted into life with a goal that will be talked about for years to come. Barnes flung over a corner, Charlery headed against the bar and the ball dropped down like Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup Final 1966 thankfully with the same result. The linesman immediately gave a goal and no amount of Stockport protests would change his mind.

The protests doubled 15 minutes later when Posh benefited from another marginal decision. Stockport attacked furiously when behind. Jim Gannon nodded wide after Barber failed to collect a Chris Beaumont cross. Lee Todd drove over the bar from 10 yards when unmarked at the far post. But Francis thought he had headed an equaliser after Preece had flicked on Beaumont's cross. A linesman had ruled in Posh's favour again, but to be fair he had missed a more blatant offside in the build up to the goal.

Barber saved well from Todd 20 minutes from time and Posh seemed to have weathered the storm. Charlery almost extended the lead after collecting Adcock's astute pass, but his 20 yard curler was well saved by Edwards. Barnes then jinked down the right before crossing just too high for Adcock and Charlery. Adcock lunged at Charlery's perfect cross, but poked the ball wide.

It didn't seem to matter until Stockport's equaliser. Immediately substitute Lee Howarth, on for the injured Welsh, was forced to clear from under his own bar after Francis had nodded into the danger area.

But then Charlery made his final stately appearance. Five minutes of injury time and a few hairy goalmouth scrambles couldn't spoil his moment of glory.

King for a day! Probably for ever in the eyes of about 25,000 devoted and delirious subjects.

There are certain events which are so special to the people of a city that superlatives are wasted on them. But that shouldn't stop us trying.

And as fans packed city roads, tooting their horns, and swarmed into pubs to celebrate, nobody could doubt that for thousands of Peterborians this was a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.

I sat in the thick of it all at Wembley Stadium which fans took over so comprehensively that Stockport need scarcely have bothered to turn up. In front of me sat Old Alf, a chap of pensionable age who had supported Posh since the age of 12. He had clearly balked at the rebelliousness of painting his face blue and white, and his efforts to bellow the variety of Posh anthems faded to embarrassment.

But for Old Alf this was his day to rival the best of his life his marriage, the birth of his children, his first pay packet. As the final whistle blew Old Alf stood with the rest of them, applauded furiously, and wiped a tear from his eye. It was a day when the stiff upper lips of macho men quivered and nobody felt less of a man for it.

For the younger fans the emotion was expressed more raucously but the event meant just as much. And don't forget those who failed to make the 80 mile trip. On London Road they sat in their gardens to share the sweet taste of success with the fans as they swarmed back into the city. The Posh convoy had clogged the A1 so badly that it seemed the tailback would never end. But with a silver cloud as grand as this, who could begrudge a tiny cloud?

So it was not just for Alf, it was for all of us, it is a memory that will never fade.

A whole city has caught football fever!

Promotion to Division One has captured thousands of new fans for super Posh. About 20,000 jubilant well-wishers crammed along the route as Posh toured the city in an open bus. And the Posh secretarial office has been booming with enquiries from eager fans desperate not to miss out on the club's entrance into the big time. Posh face League matches next season with soccer giants Newcastle, Derby, and Sunderland. They will also face local rivals Leicester City and Cambridge. Many of the games are certain to be all ticket.

And Posh managing director/secretary Arnold Blades has promised to issue full details of season ticket prices by the end of this week. We have all got to become educated to a different type of lifestyle, Mr. Blades admitted. "Many of the matches next year will almost definitely be sell outs and supporters will have to adapt accordingly." At the moment no prices have been set for next season although it's almost certain there will be an increase.

Meanwhile the enormity of the club's success was still sinking into the players this morning. Club skipper Mick Halsall said " We were drunk on the atmosphere on Sunday." But going round the city on the bus yesterday has brought it home to us. Winger Bobby Barnes said emotionally: "To see the whole town out brings tears to your eyes It looks like everybody who couldn't get to Wembley has come out today it is absolutely marvelous."

Super boss Chris Turner, the manager with the Midas touch, was almost lost for words as he considered what his team had achieved with that Wembley glory. "It's unbelievable. I just can't take it all in," he told the reporters after emerging from a ducking in the dressing room bath.

You could not write a script about what's been achieved over the past 16 months or so, but it's never down to the manager. It is down to the players with the staff and supporters pulling in the right direction. That's what we have got here. We are not the best team in the world and we don't play the best football, but we do have a go and that's all credit to the lads.

As for Ken Charlery's last ditch winner, Turner commented. "When they equalised so near the end I couldn't see us winning the game in the 90 minutes. But from one piece of real quality we produced on the day, we got a great goal out of it. It was a goal worthy of winning any game and I believe that over the 90 minutes we just about deserved to win"

Now as we contemplated taking Posh into the newly-named First Division, Turner added: "Its nice to think that the likes of West Ham, Derby, Newcastle and Sunderland will be at London Road next season. I'm delighted for Peterborough people and I hope we approach a challenge for the Premier Division in the right way for we are only one division away. It is important next season that we stay up for that will be the hardest battle. We may struggle to compete with some of the other clubs in terms of cash, but we have made it there and no-one can ever take that away from us."

Teams:

Peterborough United - Barber, Luke, R, Robinson, Halsall, D Robinson, Welsh, Sterling, Ebdon, Adcock, Charlery, Barnes. Subs: S.Cooper, Howarth.

Stockport County - Edwards, Knowles, Todd, Frain, Barras, Williams, Gannon, Ward, Francis, Beaumont, Preece. Subs: Wheeler, Williams.