Town recorded a goalless draw despite dominating for the second successive game as bottom-of-the-table Peterborough left Portman Road with a point. The Blues thought they’d broken the deadlock just before half-time via Stern John’s header but referee Andy Hall ruled it out for a push. Moments later Hall also turned down what looked to be a very good Town call for a penalty.
Boss Roy Keane made just the one change to the side which drew at Bristol City on Saturday, Carlos Edwards returning for Alan Quinn, the Trinidadian starting on the left, with Jon Walters on the right and Owen Garvan in the centre.
Jon Walters went close to putting the Blues in front in the 10th minute when his shot from Carlos Edwards’s cross was deflected wide.
Town were starting where they left off at Ashton Gate, dominating possession and creating chances, Grant Leadbitter turning and hitting a 25-yard half-volley just wide.
Walters shot over from the edge of the area, then Leadbitter struck a low effort which was deflected twice, Joe Lewis doing superbly to get down to his left to save.
Craig Mackail-Smith went wide with Peterborough’s first chance on the half hour, the striker having made the most of some sloppy defending, although Aaron Mclean appeared to have handled the ball earlier in the move.
Posh enjoyed a brief spell on top and might have scored when Chris Whelpdale headed straight at Arran Lee-Barrett, then moments later, after a David Wright error, the former Town schoolboy sent in a cross from the right which Lee Frecklington met at the far post, but the Blues keeper got across to make the first serious save of his Town career.
But it was the home side who were still the dominant force and on 34 Liam Rosenior came close with a curling effort from the edge of the box.
Jon Walters and Carlos Edwards by now had swapped flanks with the Blues continuing to create chances, Leadbitter shooting wide in the 38th minute.
On 42 the Blues thought they had gone in front. Walters looped a cross to the far post from where John headed home. Referee Andy Hall’s harsh decision to disallow the goal — apparently for a push - seemed to take an age to come.
Moments later, the Blues felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Damien Delaney’s shot was blocked by former Town academy defender Ryan Bennett’s arm but again referee Hall ruled against the Blues.
Just before the break, George Boyd was yellow-carded for pulling back Carlos Edwards as he broke into the area on the Town left.
The Blues’ first half performance had been much as the display at Bristol City. Town had dominated, created chances but had failed to take them against a Peterborough side clearly out to frustrate them, with Lewis even warned about timewasting late in the half.
Defensively, the Blues were only really threatened during Peterborough’s brief spell around the half hour mark and generally the Delaney-McAuley partnership was on top.
Town might have gone ahead almost immediately after the break. Rosenior crossed from the right and Stead appeared to run across Stern John’s line of vision as the loanee from Palace headed over when he should have done better.
The chances continued to come. Stead turned a Walters flick from a Leadbitter freekick to Lewis, before Jack Colback replaced Stern John, the Sunderland loanee going to the centre of the midfield, Owen Garvan to the left and Jon Walters up front.
On 62 Garvan might have done better when Walters played a low cross into him from the left, the ball appearing to get under his feet as he looked to unleash his shot. Leadbitter went just wide from 25 yards.
The Blues had another golden opportunity in the 68th minute when McAuley forced Lewis into a fine save with a header from a Garvan freekick. The Northern Irishman was first to the loose chest-height ball but scuffed his volley over the bar with the goal gaping.
Three minutes later, a mis-hit Garvan corner still led to Leadbitter, McAuley and Wright hitting shots which were blocked. On 73 Tamás Priskin replaced Jon Stead and Connor Wickham took over from skipper Jon Walters.
Wickham shot straight at the keeper on 82, then Edwards hit a powerful effort across the face of goal, but the Blues were running short of ideas and losing their impetus in the closing stages with neither late sub being able to have much impact on the game. There was another less convincing call for a penalty when the ball appeared to strike a Peterborough defender’s shoulder from a Wickham cross.
In injury time there was a huge scare for the Blues when a rare defensive mix-up led to Mclean hitting a shot which beat Lee-Barrett but which Delaney cleared off the line at the far post.
Essentially it was much the same story as on Saturday at Bristol City. The Blues were the better side throughout but again couldn’t take their opportunities. At Ashton Gate Town created 21 chances, tonight it was 18, but once more none were taken, although on another day Stern John’s goal would have counted and the first half penalty shout might also have been given.
Overall, it was a decent enough performance, the Blues’ midfield continues to look a vastly improved unit on earlier in the season and controlled the game for the most part. Defensively, Town were rarely tested and kept their third clean sheet in four matches, but again the inability to put the ball in the net prevented the Blues from getting the three points which would have taken them out of the bottom three.
Town: Lee-Barrett, Rosenior, D Wright, Delaney, McAuley, Leadbitter, Garvan, Walters (Wickham 73), Edwards, Stead (Priskin 73), John (Colback 60). Unused: McLoughlin, Peters, Smith, Trotter. Unused: 19,975.