Ronnie Edwards: Peterborough defender on growth, Posh heartache & England glory
Ronnie Edwards chats about his stature as a League One defender, heartbreak with Peterborough and glory with England's U19s. Watch Peterborough vs Stevenage live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Wednesday night; Kick-off 8pm.
Wednesday 13 March 2024 09:55, UK
Ronnie Edwards is not what you would call a typical League One defender.
"I'm probably not going to grow much more!" the 20-year-old, who stands at 5ft 11in, tells Sky Sports.
"So you could say that I'm a short centre-half. So it's been about learning how to use my body, which I'm probably not going to fully do until my mid-20s.
"That's one thing that I think I am good at, reading the game and my positioning.
"When I need to win it I go and try to win it, and I think this season I've got massively better at that - whether it's because of me putting on a little bit in terms of size and physicality..."
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Despite his relatively tender age, Edwards has already managed more than 100 league appearances for Peterborough United - making his debut for the club three years ago.
He is an experienced head on young shoulders, even if it has all come sooner than expected.
"Four years ago I never thought I would have made this many appearances, or played this many games," he admits.
"I feel like I'm gaining more and more experience every time I play, and I've played a lot of games now.
"But I feel like you can never stop learning in football. You see top players when they've reached 28, 29 and they still get better and better."
Edwards has also experienced heartache in that time. Last season, Peterborough were on the wrong end of one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of English football.
Leading Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 in the League One play-off semi-finals, Posh were overturned 5-1 in the the second leg before being beaten on penalties.
Lesser characters would have shrunk after such an event. Edwards merely brushes it off as a lesson learned and a sprig of motivation.
"Obviously it didn't go our way in the second leg," he says. "But when we came back in after the summer I don't think it was mentioned.
"We've got a few new boys in and we just sort of forgot about it, and we've gone again this season. Stuff like that happens in football. It has been a motivational tool.
"But hopefully this season we miss out on the play-offs and get automatic!"
While there has been despair there has also been joy. Edwards was part of the U19 England side that won the European Championships in 2022.
"I never thought I'd even ever get called up by my country, so to win the Euros was an unbelievable experience that I'll never forget," he says.
Several members of that winning squad have gone on to play in the Premier League, including Carney Chukwuemeka and Alex Scott, while Edwards' central-defensive partner Jarell Quansah has become a first-team regular at Liverpool.
"A lot of the boys now are playing first-team football, either out on loan or at their own clubs," Edwards continues.
"There were a lot of top players in the squad who will go on to have good careers, and I always look out for them and hope they do well."
It may not be too long before Edwards is joining them at the highest level. He has the talent and the mindset to make it to the top.
