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. In a 2019 study the Nene derby was revealed to be a reciprocated rivalry, with the largest percentage of fans of each club considering the other as their rivals.
The first competitive match between the two clubs took place in 1946 but the first professional derby took place in 1960. As of 17 December 2024, there have been 80 competitive matches between the two teams, with 37 wins for Peterborough, 24 wins for Northampton and 19 draws.
The derby has never been played higher than the third tier of English football with 58 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 4-0 win for Northampton at London Road .
In total, the derby has been played 105 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 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." 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. 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.
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."
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." 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.
List of derbies League No.SeasonDateCompetitionStadiumHome teamResultAway teamAtt.H2H11960–61 8 October 1960Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–3 Northampton 22,959 0225 February 1961 County Ground Northampton 0–3 Peterborough 19,516 +131961–62 28 October 1961Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 17,324 +1417 March 1962 London Road Peterborough 0–2 Northampton 17,009 051962–63 1 September 1962Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–3 Peterborough 16,064 +1611 May 1963 London Road Peterborough 0–4 Northampton 17,518 071967–68 23 April 1968Division 3 County Ground Northampton 3–1 Peterborough 8,934 +184 May 1968 London Road Peterborough 4–0 Northampton 6,658 091969–70 17 September 1969Division 4 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,557 +11014 April 1970 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 6,732 +1111970–71 10 November 1970Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–0 Peterborough 8,190 01220 February 1971 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,068 +1131971–72 5 February 1972Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 5,186 +1148 April 1972 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,480 +2151972–73 28 August 1972Division 4 London Road Peterborough 2–3 Northampton 3,627 +11628 April 1973 County Ground Northampton 1–3 Peterborough 2,441 +2171973–74 17 November 1973Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 10,351 +31812 April 1974 County Ground Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 11,378 +4191976–77 2 November 1976Division 3 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 7,483 +42012 April 1977 London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 8,944 +5211979–80 22 September 1979Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 3,678 +4229 February 1980 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 4,960 +4231980–81 26 December 1980Division 4 London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 6,265 +52421 April 1981 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 3,800 +5251981–82 28 November 1981Division 4 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,293 +62624 April 1982 County Ground Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 4,975 +5271982–83 30 October 1982Division 4 County Ground Northampton 0–0 Peterborough 3,284 +52812 March 1983 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 3,778 +6291983–84 27 December 1983Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 6,464 +53024 April 1984 London Road Peterborough 6–0 Northampton 3,481 +6311984–85 26 December 1984Division 4 County Ground Northampton 0–3 Peterborough 4,350 +7322 April 1985 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 2,482 +7331985–86 12 October 1985Division 4 London Road Peterborough 0–5 Northampton 3,866 +63415 March 1986 County Ground Northampton 2–2 Peterborough 3,332 +6351986–87 14 September 1986Division 4 County Ground Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 5,517 +53631 January 1987 London Road Peterborough 0–1 Northampton 7,911 +4371990–91 22 September 1990Division 4 County Ground Northampton 1–2 Peterborough 5,572 +5385 February 1991 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 5,932 +6391999–2000 14 August 1999Division 3 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 6,253 +74015 January 2000 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 9,104 +8412000–01 23 December 2000Division 2 London Road Peterborough 1–2 Northampton 9,868 +74227 January 2001 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–0 Peterborough 7,079 +7432001–02 7 October 2001Division 2 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 8,101 +84419 February 2002 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 6,064 +7452002–03 28 December 2002Division 2 London Road Peterborough 0–0 Northampton 7,767 +74625 January 2003 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 5,906 +8472005–06 21 December 2005League Two Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 7,023 +9481 April 2006 London Road Peterborough 0–1 Northampton 8,637 +8492008–09 13 September 2008League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 6,520 +85014 March 2009 London Road Peterborough 1–0 Northampton 8,881 +9512016–17 18 October 2016League One London Road Peterborough 3–0 Northampton 9,172 +105219 November 2016 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–1 Peterborough 7,675 +11532017–18 26 August 2017League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–4 Peterborough 6,685 +12542 April 2018 London Road Peterborough 2–0 Northampton 8,619 +13552020–21 10 October 2020League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 0–2 Peterborough 0 +145616 April 2021 London Road Peterborough 3–1 Northampton 0 +15572023–24 19 August 2023League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–0 Peterborough 7,684 +14585 March 2024 London Road Peterborough 5–1 Northampton 9,028 +15592024–25 9 December 2024League One Sixfields Stadium Northampton 2–1 Peterborough 7,098 +14605 April 2025 London Road Peterborough 0–4 Northampton 9,782 +13612025–26 13 December 2025League One London Road Peterborough 2–1 Northampton 9,260 +146228 February 2026 Sixfields Stadium Northampton 1–1 Peterborough 7,637 +14
Cup