Peterborough boss, Darren Ferguson, has defended his decision for not bringing Tyler Young on from the bench to face his father, Ashley, in their third-round FA Cup tie against Everton on Thursday night.
History was on the horizon at Goodison Park, with Ashley and Tyler Young looking to become the first father and son duo to face-off against one another in the 154-year history of the FA Cup.
While Ashley came off the bench for the Toffees in the 73rd minute, Posh manager, Ferguson, felt unable to bring on 18-year-old midfielder Tyler, thus passing up the opportunity for history to be made.
The decision to deny Tyler an outing against his dad did not sit well with some, as digs were aimed in Ferguson’s direction, but the Peterborough boss – son of Sir Alex Ferguson – told reporters his reasoning afterwards.
“The last substitution was a difficult one because I did want to get Tyler on. As much as I wanted to get him on with his dad, I had to do what’s right for my team,” Ferguson stated to the press. “It was very difficult ,but I’ve got to do what’s best for the team.”
He continued, “If the game had been 2-0 at that point, I would have put him on, but at 1-0 I couldn’t. If I sent a central midfielder on at 1-0, I’ve got three forwards sitting on the bench wondering what’s going on.”
Ferguson also revealed one of the Everton players had a go at him over the unpopular decision. “One of their players had a bit of a pop at me, which is bang out of order, but I’ve got to do what’s best for out team and, at that point, it’s 1-0 and we’re trying to get a result.”
Tyler Young has only made one senior appearance for Peterborough this season, in an EFL Trophy win over Stevenage in October 2024.