Jonson Clarke-Harris: Peterborough withdraw appeal against striker's ban for historical posts

Jonson Clarke-Harris has scored two goals this season, with Peterborough second-bottom in the Championship

Championship side Peterborough have withdrawn their appeal against Jonson Clarke-Harris' four-match suspension for historical social media posts.

The club had appealed against the decision of a Football Association regulatory commission, pausing the 27-year-old's ban and allowing him to play against Coventry and Bournemouth.

But Posh have accepted the ban after receiving the FA's written reasons.

The striker missed the Bristol City loss and will sit out three more games.

His comments, made between 27 October 2012 and 6 March 2013, when he was 18, constituted an aggravated breach of FA Rule E3.2 as they included reference to sexual orientation.

"We got advice off our lawyers and there was a very tiny possibility if we went to appeal, [the suspension] might get increased," Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"Me and Jonno spoke and we just said 'let's just take the four [game ban]'.

"I think it's been hanging over the boy. I could see the relief when we spoke."

Former Bristol Rovers player Clarke-Harris will now miss games against Middlesbrough, Hull and QPR after the international break.