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A mixed response, it's fair to say.

The best & funniest social media reactions to Darren Ferguson ruining the Young FA Cup fairytale

Nestor Watach •

Christmas might have been a couple of weeks ago, but Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson couldn’t resist acting the Scrooge to deny us an FA Cup fairytale.

All the pre-match build-up to Everton’s third-round draw against League One Peterborough had been focused on the unusual angle of Ashley Young being pitted against his son Tyler, who is just emerging from the Peterborough academy.

Never before in the long and storied history of the FA Cup have a father and son played on opposing teams, and we’re still waiting after Ferguson left young Tyler as an unused substitute in Peterborough’s 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park.

Everton veteran Ashley, 39, had said before the match that facing his son would be the greatest moment of his career. He was named on the bench by caretaker manager Leighton Baines, but was introduced with 17 minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for fans of football romance everywhere, Ferguson didn’t follow suit. Sir Alex Ferguson’s son himself, of course, he left Tyler on the bench, making five other substitutions as he chased a narrow one-goal deficit until the dying seconds when an Iliman Ndiaye penalty put the result beyond doubt.

“We’re not a charity case,” Ferguson responded in his post-match press conference.

“It was very difficult to leave Tyler on the bench, I wanted him on, but I’ve got to get a forward on to get a goal. One of their players had a pop at me which was out of order. I had to do what was best for my team.”

The decision to leave the youngster on the bench sparked a fierce debate online. Many defended Ferguson, pointing out that the teenager has only played 27 minutes of first-team action in the EFL Trophy this season. Others inevitably criticised him for crushing the father and son’s dream.

READ NEXT: Ranking every Everton manager of the Premier League era from worst to best

TRY A QUIZ: Planet Football’s ultimate FA Cup Quiz: 30 questions to test your knowledge

Young himself posted that he was ‘gutted’:

Here are some of the best responses we’ve seen online:

Everton FA Cup