Town and Peterborough remain locked at 0-0 at half-time in their pre-season friendly at London Road.

Daryl Murphy, last season's 27-goal Championship top scorer, made his first start of pre-season, while Jonny Parr returned at left-back after his minor thigh problem in a full-strength Town back four.

Aside from Giles Coke - who is training with Town for the next few days - starting in Cole Skuse’s central midfield role, the team isn’t too far aware from what manager Mick McCarthy might view as his first XI.

Strikers Freddie Sears and Brett Pitman both missed, the latter presumably due to the foot knock he suffered at Cambridge.

Sears, who also seems likely to have picked up a niggle, was spotted watching the U18s beat Leyton Orient 2-0 in a friendly at Playford Road this morning. Former Blues midfielder Jack Collison starts for Posh.

Town threatened early on when an Ainsley Maitland-Niles corner from the left bounced dangerously across the edge of the six-yard box but without a Town player managing to get a touch.

Posh weren’t too far away from going in front in the 11th minute when former Cliftonville striker Joe Gormley hit a well-struck shot just over from the edge of the box.

On the quarter hour, Ryan Fraser fed Parr, who sent over a low cross from the left, which Kgosi Ntlhe turned behind at the far post.

After the resultant corner had been half-cleared, David McGoldrick nugmegged Jon Taylor before taking the ball on but scuffing wide and too far in front of Christophe Berra at the far post.

At the other end, Taylor shot wide of Dean Gerken’s left post, then on 23 Peterborough skipper Michael Bostwick shot powerfully just wide from distance.

There was a big scare for Blues keeper Gerken on the half-hour mark when he was closed down quickly by Conor Washington and the ball deflected off the Posh striker and cannoned just over.

Two minutes later, Gerken did well to tip Collison’s dipping effort from distance over his bar. From the subsequent corner, the Blues keeper reacted quickly to block Taylor’s powerful strike.

Peterborough continued to keep up the pressure and on 35 Ntlhe shot over from distance, then on 41 Washington had the ball in the net but the referee had already blown up for a foul.

A minute later, Town came close when the ball ran loose to Parr midway inside the area following a throw on the right but Ricardo Almeida Santos superbly dived in to challenge.

McGoldrick found himself space just outside the box on 44 but shot over and the scoreline remained level at the break.

Posh might well have been in front had Washington’s block been a couple of feet lower and the home side probably had the better of the first-half chances, largely during a strong spell just after the half-hour mark.

Town had been on top for much of the rest of the half, passing the ball around slickly at times, with Maitland-Niles and McGoldrick often at the heart of it, but usually without creating an opportunity.

Parr’s late chance had been the Blues best opportunity, while trialist Coke had a tidy if unspectacular half in central midfield.

Manager McCarthy said he planned to give his starting XI an hour each with the subs then given a run-out.

Peterborough: Alnwick, Smith, Ntlhe, Santos, Zakuani, Bostwick (c), Collison, Maddison, Taylor, Washington, Gormley. Subs: Henry, J Anderson, Brisley, H Anderson, Newell, Fox, Sadlier, Angol, Adebayo-Rowling, Coulibaly, Oztumer.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Parr, Coke, Bishop, Maitland-Niles, Fraser, Murphy, McGoldrick. Subs: Bialkowski, Bru, Yowerth, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Ambrose, Skuse, Henshall, Stewart, Connolly, McDonnell, Benyu.

Photo: Action Images

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