20 February 2024 , 09:00
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For Peterborough United captain Harrison Burrows, this week's Bristol Street Motors Trophy semi-final represents the chance for his footballing story to come full-circle.
Burrows, 22, has been on the books of his boyhood club since the age of nine officially. But he was training with them before that - and his Posh love affair stretches back even further.
The left-back attended games with his family from the age of four. And unsurprisingly given his affection for the club, Burrows was in attendance as a 10-year-old when Peterborough won the trophy for the first and only time in their history.
He ranks that 2014 final triumph - a 3-1 victory over Chesterfield - as the pinnacle of his days supporting the Posh. But he admits emulating that feat as a player would top it.
"I went to the final and it was one of the best days as a fan that I can remember," Burrows recalls to Mirror Football . "I went with all my mates and that, so it was mental. As a 10-year-old, you're screaming your head off. But as a player, obviously it's very different!
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"To be in this position now feels very special, especially as I'm now a big part of the squad. The lads who have played at Wembley always talk about it. It's one of them where at the end of your career you want to say you've played at Wembley and you've won finals. That's something that I want to add to my CV."
While its current guise divides opinions, the Football League Trophy has always prided itself on being an environment where clubs can blood their promising youngsters away from the tribulations of league football. Giving a platform to future stars like Burrows, who was training with senior players at just 15 years of age, is what the competition is all about.
Burrows was made club captain in the summer (MI News/NurPhoto)Nowadays, Burrows' standing in the squad defies his tender years. He has almost 100 senior appearances to his name and was named captain in the summer by Darren Ferguson. After that initial exposure in the senior ranks, Burrows returned to youth football before Ferguson returned to the club.
Burrows has relished the extra responsibility. The left-back explains: "I was kind of a big personality in the dressing room anyway. But when you do actually get that role, you kind of feel like, yeah, there's a little bit of added responsibility. I'm really enjoying it. It's things like driving the lads, that kind of thing. That's kind of the difference now, whereas before I was more focused on myself."
Ferguson Sr was famed for his notorious hairdryer - but there's been no need for that at Posh. Burrows may don the armband on the field but he leads by raising his game rather than his voice.
"I would say in this generation, especially in our changing room, it's not really like that anymore. It's more about encouragement. But at the same time, if someone needs digging out, it'll happen."
Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson lifts the EFL Trophy back in 2014 (Steve Bardens/The FA)Life is never boring at Peterborough: since dropping out of the Championship in 2013, the club have always been in and around the upper echelons of the third-tier vying for a return. They achieved that feat by finishing second behind Hull City in 2021 but were relegated the following season. They were unsuccessful in the play-off's last year after finishing sixth.
While success hasn't always been guaranteed at London Road, one thing pretty much is: goals. Ferguson's side have outgunned every other club in the division this season, plundering 60 goals in just 32 games. It's never boring at Posh.
"I think the fans kind of love. Obviously this season in League One we're top goal scorers but we should have had more, really. With how fluid the football is at Peterborough, it's really enjoyable to be involved with as a player.
"Even me at left-back, my stats, to be fair, it's not common for a left-back to get that much in terms of goals and assists, but that's credit to how the club plays. That's something I'm always looking for: goals and assists."
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Burrows was training with the Posh first-team at just 15 years of age (MI News/NurPhoto)Ferguson's on-off relationship with Peterborough was ridiculed after he returned for a fourth spell back in January 2023, but he's enjoyed significant success there as a manager. During the premiership of owner Darragh MacAnthony, Ferguson has, for the most part, been synonymous with some of club's most notable moments in recent history, including promotions and the aforementioned BSM Trophy triumph.
Burrows holds the Scotsman in particularly high esteem. He is quick to articulate that many players weren't fulfilling their full potential last season before his return. How did Ferguson fix such an issue?
"I think he's just relentless in the way he works. A lot of the time we're on the training pitch doing shape and I think, I kind of don't compare him to other managers, but you know how Man City, when they get the ball, they sort of know where they're going to pass, how they're going to move? We've got that instilled into us and that's down to hours and hours of repetition on the training pitch and him sticking to a plan that he believes will work. And it does 90 per cent of the time."
It was Ferguson who was in the dugout back in 2014 when Burrows was watching his heroes lift the very same trophy that is, potentially, just 180 minutes away from being his.
Ferguson returned to the Posh for a fourth spell in January 2023 (James Baylis)Burrows and co will be under no illusions about the threat Blackpool pose on Tuesday night given the Seasiders beat them at the weekend in League One. Both sides are likely to be in the mix for promotion before all is said and done in May. Harnessing the momentum from a successful BSM Trophy would do no harm to any of the league's promotion hopefuls.
"They're a very good team. I think they've got some quality players. They have loads of quality up top, players like Jordan Rhodes; he's very good. I think for us to go all the way in the trophy would set down a marker. But at the minute, we're just taking each game one at a time.
"Winning on Tuesday would send a statement out to everyone else in the league and also build us a lot of confidence and momentum."
And what would it mean on a personal level? "Winning that trophy and being able to lift it as captain would be a dream come true. Because when you are 10 and you're watching your home club - especially seeing the captain going up the steps and lifting up the trophy - it's amazing. It's something I've always dreamed of [replicating]."
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