York City Suffers Pre-Season Loss to Peterborough United

Peterborough United Edges York City in Pre-Season Friendly

Peterborough United secured a 2-1 victory over York City in a pre-season friendly match, with the Posh taking the lead in the first half and holding on for the win.

What Happened?

The match was a farewell appearance for York City legend Paddy McLaughlin, who played six minutes for the Minstermen before being replaced by Mark Shelton. McLaughlin was met with a standing ovation from the crowd, bringing an end to his stellar career with the club.

Why it Matters for Peterborough United

The win for Peterborough United was a good workout for the team ahead of their Carabao Cup Preliminary Round clash with Crawley Town on Monday. The Posh took the lead in the first half with Brandon Khela stroking home from the edge of the area, before City equalised through Alex Newby in the second half.

What Comes Next?

Peterborough United will look to build on this win as they prepare for the new season. With a strong team and a good pre-season under their belt, the Posh are looking to make a push for promotion in League One.

As of July 29, 2026, Peterborough United sits 18th in the final 2025 table, with 53 points from 46 games, a recent form of LDLDL. They have scored 64 goals and conceded 68, with a goal difference of -4. They are 50 points behind leaders Lincoln in the title race.

In a testing couple of days for the fans, first-team coach Gary Elphick took the reins, with manager Stuart Maynard leaving the club and assistant manager Joao Alves looking to be on his way out. New head coach Scott Lindsey was in the stands watching, and will have learned more about his side ahead of his debut in the dugout next week.

Alfie McNally got his first minutes between the sticks at the LNER Community Stadium, whilst the likes of Ash Palmer, Charlie McArthur, and Mark Shelton all got minutes after recovering from small knocks in Spain. There were plenty of players absent, however, including the likes of Dipo Akinyemi, Zech Medley, Alex Hunt, and Mark Kitching, whilst youngsters Ben Farrar and Ethan Stiver were given the chance to impress the new management team.

Peterborough brought a strong team to North Yorkshire, with some familiar names to York such as Chris Conn-Clarke and Collin Andeng Ndi on the bench, but there was little separating the sides at times. Craig Hewitt had the first glimpse of goal as he blasted a strike harmlessly over the bar, before the home crowd came together to give McLaughlin a standing ovation, as he was replaced by Shelton after six minutes.

McArthur powered a header over the bar from a corner, before the breakthrough came for Peterborough, after Harry Leonard had had an earlier chance scuppered. After Owura Edwards kept a ball alive and laid the ball off for Khela, the former Birmingham City youngster stroked a low finish into the bottom left corner.

Peterborough immediately hunted a second as a lay-off for Carl Johnston had an effort from the edge of the area heroically blocked by Morgan Williams. That would be as good as it got by the end of the first half, with no route back for York, who offered little towards the end of the 45.

A knock to Hewitt at the end of the first half meant he was replaced by young Farrar for the second half, and he certainly made an impression, making himself known and earning praise from Elphick post-match. Just seven minutes into the second half, the Minstermen found their way back into the game, levelling the contest.

After Ollie Pearce threaded a low ball down the left wing for Newby, he skipped past multiple defenders and squeezed a strike past Alex Bass through a crowd of bodies. However, James Dornelly's 80th-minute header meant that Peterborough took the spoils home with them, in a tame affair at the LNER Community Stadium.

In a testing couple of days for the fans, it was first-team coach Gary Elphick who took the reins, with Maynard leaving the club and assistant manager Joao Alves also looking to be on his way out. New head coach Lindsey was in the stands watching, and will have learned more about his side ahead of his debut in the dugout next week.

Alfie McNally got first minutes between the sticks at the LNER Community Stadium, whilst the likes of Ash Palmer, Charlie McArthur, and Mark Shelton all got minutes after recovering from small knocks in Spain. There were plenty of players absent, however, including the likes of Dipo Akinyemi, Zech Medley, Alex Hunt, and Mark Kitching, whilst youngsters Ben Farrar and Ethan Stiver were given the chance to impress the new management team.

Peterborough brought a strong team to North Yorkshire, with some familiar names to York such as Chris Conn-Clarke and Collin Andeng Ndi on the bench, but there was little separating the sides at times. Craig Hewitt had the first glimpse of goal as he blasted a strike harmlessly over the bar, before the home crowd came together to give McLaughlin a standing ovation, as he was replaced by Shelton after six minutes.

McArthur powered a header over the bar from a corner, before the breakthrough came for Peterborough, after Harry Leonard had had an earlier chance scuppered. After Owura Edwards kept a ball alive and laid the ball off for Khela, the former Birmingham City youngster stroked a low finish into the bottom left corner.

Peterborough immediately hunted a second as a lay-off for Carl Johnston had an effort from the edge of the area heroically blocked by Morgan Williams. That would be as good as it got by the end of the first half, with no route back for York, who offered little towards the end of the 45.

A knock to Hewitt at the end of the first half meant he was replaced by young Farrar for the second half, and he certainly made an impression, making himself known and earning praise from Elphick post-match. Just seven minutes into the second half, the Minstermen found their way back into the game, levelling the contest.

After Ollie Pearce threaded a low ball down the left wing for Newby, he skipped past multiple defenders and squeezed a strike past Alex Bass through a crowd of bodies. However, James Dornelly's 80th-minute header meant that Peterborough took the spoils home with them, in a tame affair at the LNER Community Stadium.