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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fry hails 'David and Goliath' Wembley win for Posh
Peterborough United icon Barry Fry said his side overcame a "David and Goliath" battle as they became EFL Trophy champions for the second year running. Posh tore up the form book and beat League One champions Birmingham City 2-0 in Sunday's final at Wembley. Fry, the club's director of football, said he was proud of the players after a difficult league campaign hampered by injuries. "I might have a glass or two of wine to celebrate, or a bottle even - who knows," said Fry, who promised himself a day off on Monday. Birmingham had been overwhelming favourites to win the final, having clinched the third-tier title on Saturday and beaten Posh in the league on Tuesday. However, they found no answer to goals from Peterborough's Harley Mills and captain Hector Kyprianou in the first half. "We were, once again, underdogs and we showed our talent," Fry said. "We've underachieved this year in the league, no doubt about that. The players set their own standard and we've all fallen way below them." The occasion was dubbed the "Barry Fry final" because of his ties with both clubs, with the 80-year-old having managed Blues between 1993 and 1996. But Fry nailed his colours to the mast in the build-up to the game, firmly backing Posh to retain their trophy. "It was a nervous 55, 60 minutes because it just went on and on and on, but the lads put in a shift today and I'm proud of each and every one of them," he added. Posh supporters celebrated on the steps of Wembley and inside the ground after an agonising wait for the final whistle. Nat, 16, told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "There was so much relief that overcame me at the final whistle and every fan went mad. "I really thought we were going to get played off the park by a really strong Birmingham side, but that's what Posh do at Wembley - we don't lose there." Lottie, a 10-year-old fan, said she expected a "really difficult" match against Blues after Tuesday's defeat. "But we made a comeback and it was really good to watch," she said. Her dad, Andy, added: "Our boys stuck in there and ran away with it, really." Posh were backed by about 20,000 supporters inside Wembley, which had a total attendance of 71,722. The win drew them level with Bristol City as the most successful side in the competition's history. Peterborough fan Nilesh Patel, who was at the game, said: "It's brilliant for the fans, the club and hopefully the whole city." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Peterborough upset Birmingham to retain EFL Trophy Watch: Jubilant Peterborough fans celebrate EFL Trophy win Fry wants Wembley win over former club Birmingham Peterborough United
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Barry Fry hails 'David and Goliath' Wembley win for Peterborough
Peterborough United icon Barry Fry said his side overcame a "David and Goliath" battle as they became EFL Trophy champions for the second year tore up the form book and beat League One champions Birmingham City 2-0 in Sunday's final at the club's director of football, said he was proud of the players after a difficult league campaign hampered by injuries."I might have a glass or two of wine to celebrate, or a bottle even - who knows," said Fry, who promised himself a day off on Monday. Birmingham had been overwhelming favourites to win the final, having clinched the third-tier title on Saturday and beaten Posh in the league on they found no answer to goals from Peterborough's Harley Mills and captain Hector Kyprianou in the first half. "We were, once again, underdogs and we showed our talent," Fry said."We've underachieved this year in the league, no doubt about that. The players set their own standard and we've all fallen way below them."The occasion was dubbed the "Barry Fry final" because of his ties with both clubs, with the 80-year-old having managed Blues between 1993 and Fry nailed his colours to the mast in the build-up to the game, firmly backing Posh to retain their trophy."It was a nervous 55, 60 minutes because it just went on and on and on, but the lads put in a shift today and I'm proud of each and every one of them," he added. Posh supporters celebrated on the steps of Wembley and inside the ground after an agonising wait for the final 16, told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "There was so much relief that overcame me at the final whistle and every fan went mad."I really thought we were going to get played off the park by a really strong Birmingham side, but that's what Posh do at Wembley - we don't lose there."Lottie, a 10-year-old fan, said she expected a "really difficult" match against Blues after Tuesday's defeat."But we made a comeback and it was really good to watch," she dad, Andy, added: "Our boys stuck in there and ran away with it, really." Posh were backed by about 20,000 supporters inside Wembley, which had a total attendance of 71, win drew them level with Bristol City as the most successful side in the competition's fan Nilesh Patel, who was at the game, said: "It's brilliant for the fans, the club and hopefully the whole city." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Can Posh give Fry birthday gift against old friends Blues?
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 for Ferguson's Posh, they won all three of their group games, at Gillingham and then home wins over Stevenage and Crystal Palace 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 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 of his back-up strikers, 16-goal Alfie May and the long-serving Lukas Jutkiewicz, have ever played at Wembley are forced into at least three defensive changes from the midweek dress 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."
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fry wants Wembley win over former club Birmingham
Some people are calling it the 'Barry Fry final'. Why? Because when Peterborough United and Birmingham City walk out at Wembley for Sunday's Vertu Trophy final, it will be a meeting of two of the clubs he has been most closely associated with during his 65 years in football. The young Fry scored five goals in six games for England Schoolboys, one of them at the old Wembley in front of 95,000 people, before a blood clotting problem in his legs brought a promising playing career to a premature he is relishing the prospect of returning to the national stadium to see Posh, the club he has served in various roles for the best part of 30 years, take on Blues, who he guided to an EFL Trophy and promotion double in who turned 80 earlier this month, told BBC Look East: "I'm just a football nut. I've been so lucky to have been in football since I was [knee high to] a grasshopper. It's going to be an unbelievable day for me."His ability to wheel and deal is legendary - he once persuaded George Best to turn out for non-league Dunstable, his first club in management, having been appointed at the age of said he made Birmingham £12m in transfer market profits before leaving St Andrew's, and that negotiating talent has continued with the likes of Ivan Toney, Dwight Gayle and Ronnie Edwards passing through Peterborough on their way to bigger things."I've done some special deals and got money even I didn't think I'd get," he said. "The secret is that you really believe in your players - you believe they can go on to be an international or play in the Premier League. The bigger the club, the more you ask for and the more you expect." The Birmingham years 1993-96 Birmingham have dominated League One this season, and Tuesday's 2-1 win over Peterborough at the Weston Homes Stadium secured promotion back to the Championship following relegation last only need five more points to reach 100 for the campaign, but it was all very different when Fry left Southend United in 1993 to become Blues manager."They were bottom of the league by nine points, I think. I decided to go there despite them being bottom and we finished the season very well, out of the last 10 games we won seven, drew two and lost one," he said."That was promotion form but unfortunately we got relegated. The following year I said we'd do the double and we did."As well as winning the Division Two title in 1995, they also triumphed at Wembley in the Football League Trophy final, beating Carlisle United 1-0 in front of a crowd of over 76,000."We took 57,000 [with us] that day. Fair play to [then owners] David Sullivan, David Gold and [managing director] Karren [Brady] because in the earlier rounds you get no crowds whatsoever, nobody's interested," Fry added. "But we got 18,000, 20,000, 22,000 because they charged a fiver for adults and one pound for kids, which was wonderful."We also won the Birmingham Senior Cup, beating [Aston] Villa, and in the FA Cup we played Liverpool at home, drew 0-0 at St Andrew's, went to Anfield, drew 1-1 after extra-time. We got a standing ovation, rightly so, but lost on penalties." Despite that, Fry's time in charge came to an end in 1996, but it was not long before the chance to return to football with Peterborough came along. Posh 'responsibility nearly killed me' It was certainly a case of 'in at the deep end' with Posh as Fry soon found himself in the position of effectively being manager, chairman and owner at the same time."The responsibility nearly killed me because I had £150,000 to pay every month. I was on the training ground doing managerial things and I'd get a phone call from Mary in the office to say the bailiffs were here, so I'd run off the training ground, jump in the car and came here [to the stadium] to sort it out," Fry said."I put my family in jeopardy. My wife always said she loved me so much, we could live in a tent on the river - she doesn't know how close she came [to doing that]. It was horrific being the owner of this football club."Fry was understandably relieved when current Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony took over the club in 2006, the Irishman becoming the youngest chairman in the EFL at the age of 30, although it took the best part of a year before the deal could be concluded because of a dispute with their landlords."He bought the club off me for £1 - he did due diligence and saw all this money coming in from [sales of] various players over the years and said he'd buy it if I stayed as director of football and continued what I was doing," Fry said."It's very difficult [running a football club]. You can't win. You get criticised for everything. People don't know what's going on behind the scenes, if they knew, they'd be horrified." Fergie time again for Posh at Wembley? The name Peterborough United may not have the same lustre as Bayern Munich, but there is a similarity in that they have appointed Darren Ferguson as manager on four occasions, just as the German giants did with Jupp Heynckes - although his third spell was as a caretaker has been the 'third wheel' on and off since he first took the job 18 years ago. He has served the club well in the league and led the club to two EFL Trophy successes, having also won the competition as a player with Wrexham in although Fry enjoyed his time at Birmingham, there is absolutely no question of divided loyalties on Sunday, when Peterborough will kick off as underdogs."Since Darragh MacAnthony took over, I've sat back and enjoyed every minute. He fetched Darren Ferguson in and Darren's done over 650 games for us," he said. "He's taking us to Wembley in this cup for the third time - we've won the other two - and he's had five promotions, four of them with us and three of them taking us from League One to the Championship. "Darren has given us great excitement over the years with the entertaining, exciting teams he's put together."It's a wonderful partnership and long may it continue. I want to see Darren Ferguson win the trophy for the third time at Wembley. Up the Posh."
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fry backs Birmingham to reach Premier League next season
Barry Fry has backed Birmingham City to pull off consecutive promotions and return to the Premier League for the first time since Peterborough United football director watched from the stands as the club he managed to the League Two title and Football League Trophy double in 1995 clinched promotion back to the Championship with a 2-1 win at London his own team's defeat, Fry declared himself delighted at Birmingham's success after a relegation last season had followed years of uncertainty and Blues' dominant season sees them return to the Championship at the first time of asking after new owners Knighthead invested heavily in the squad, and with a new Premier League-standard stadium in the pipeline, just a mile from their current home at St Andrew's, Fry says the revival is ongoing."Birmingham City are the best team in the division by a mile," he said. "They're the richest club, they've got a fanbase that everybody would die for, and they have an owner that gives them financial stability now."The recruitment they've done, especially with their manager Chris Davies, is absolutely top drawer. "I tip them to go again, back-to-back promotions, that's how ambitious they are. The stadium at St Andrew's ain't big enough to get all the Bluenoses in - that's why the owner is building a new one."Knighthead funded a squad thought to be the most expensive in the history of English football's third tier, headed by the three most expensive transfers at that level in striker Jay Stansfield, centre-back Christoph Klarer and attacking midfielder Willum Thor splurge has paid off hugely, with Brum securing promotion with five games to spare and also booking a Wembley date against Peterborough in the final of the EFL Trophy on a shaky start to their tenure, when they sacked John Eustace with Birmingham sixth in the Championship, and appointed Wayne Rooney - who took them to the brink of relegation - Knighthead have won over the fans by backing their commitment with hard who turned 80 this week and is still celebrated by Blues fans, said he was pleased to see the upturn in fortunes at his old said: "I'm so happy for the Bluenoses, because they've been in turmoil for so, so long, not knowing who the owner is, or where their club is going, but they've 'kept right on', as the song says. Brilliant fans."
