Can Posh give Fry birthday gift against old friends Blues?

BBC News

11-04-2025

It is a competition that began quietly last September as the Bristol Motors Trophy and ends at Wembley on Sunday in front of a 70,000-plus audience as the Vertu Trophy final.It also has Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry, in the week that he turned 80, hoping to witness his Posh side beat Blues and deny Chris Davies' already promoted side a repeat of his achievement of winning the 'lower league and cup double' when he was Birmingham City manager 30 years ago.No wonder it seems more like 'the Barry Fry final'.Admittedly, though, there is a bit more to it than that. If Posh boss Darren Ferguson wins, it will be a record fourth triumph for him as player and manager in this competition - and they will become the first side to win the trophy in successive years.If he loses, it will be a first-ever Wembley defeat for Posh, who have the best record in finals there out of the 92 clubs in the Premier League and the EFL - five out of five.With an official 43,000-strong following of Blues fans, which could touch 50,000, and well over half that of Posh fans making the journey too, Sunday's final is once again a glorious celebration of lower league football.It is a competition that not too many focus on at the qualifying-round stages each season, but annually gathers pace like a runaway train once the Wembley arch is in sight, just as with the old 'twin towers'.One slight spanner in the works is that there are no trains heading from Birmingham Moor Street and though Blues' Solihull heartland straight to Wembley Stadium this Sunday - due to "staff shortages"., external
Blues and Posh in the Trophy
Whatever happens in Sunday's final, it will mean at least one alteration to football's history books. With two previous victories each, a third will take the winners level with Bristol City's record three triumphs.Holders Peterborough's perfect Wembley record has seen them twice pick up the EFL Trophy under Ferguson in 2014 and 2024, and win three play-off finals in 1992, 2000 and 2011, the last of which was also under Ferguson.While Posh can become the first side to successfully defend the trophy, Birmingham have an even more sensational record. They have only played in this competition five times in its many different guises in the 44 years since it began life as the Football League Group Cup in 1981 - and yet this is Blues' third final, having won it both in 1991 with Lou Macari and again in 1995. And they also won on their first visit to the rebuilt Wembley - the shock 2011 League Cup final win over Arsenal. It adds up to an overall competition record of played 26, won 21.
How they got to Wembley
Birmingham put a combined 11 goals past Shrewsbury Town and Fulham Under-21s but they kicked off the EFL Trophy campaign by losing a drawn West Midlands derby against Walsall on penalties.In the knockout stages they were then on the road, seeing off Exeter City, Swindon Town and Stevenage before a memorable night under the St Andrew's lights against Bradford City.As for Ferguson's Posh, they won all three of their group games, at Gillingham and then home wins over Stevenage and Crystal Palace Under-21s.They then put out Northampton Town, Walsall and Cheltenham, all on home soil, before ruining the prospect of an all-American owned final with Tom Brady's Blues, by coming from 2-0 downto beat Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham on penalties in the semi-final at a stunned Racecourse Ground.
Sunday's team news
Davies will recall top scorer Jay Stansfield after rotating his squad for Tuesday's trip to London Road, when the visitors' 2-1 win clinched promotion from League One.But his first-choice line-up has rather picked itself of late and the key questions are which two players will not make his 18-man matchday squad, for a potential chance to come off the bench.Neither of his back-up strikers, 16-goal Alfie May and the long-serving Lukas Jutkiewicz, have ever played at Wembley before.Peterborough are forced into at least three defensive changes from the midweek dress rehearsal.On-loan Stockport County man Sam Hughes, almost an ever-present since his January move, is cup-tied, as are Tayo Edun, who played in an earlier round for Charlton Athletic, and Carl Johnston, who did the same for Fleetwood.
What the managers say
Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire:"When you get to these sort of occasions, you have to tell players they're not starting or, worse, they're not involved. And it's not a nice part of my job."We've got some numbers back now and I've got some tough decisions to make. We've got 21 players available - and only 18 places in the squad. And it's actually going to be tougher to pick the players on the bench than it is the ones in the starting line-up."I've already told the lads that I expect we'll use 15 outfield players. It's Wembley. A big occasion. A hot day and a massive pitch."It's great for the fans that we've got another day out at Wembley - and great for the players too. Wembley takes care of itself and you'd expect a strong performance from my team. My focus has always been on the league but I might feel a bit different when I wake up Sunday morning." Birmingham City boss Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM:"Tuesday night was something special. To go there and get promoted for sure was one of those things you never forgot. Nobody left for 25 minutes."Peterborough will be a wounded animal. They've lost at home and they will want to put that right. They've got some talent and speed. They're the fourth highest scorers in this league."But every single game this season, we've been up for it. We've not got carried away with what happened in midweek. We just want more of it. "To get a team to Wembley is one thing, to lead the team out is another. My family will be there and it will mean a lot. Anyone in this country knows what Wembley means."