Jonson Clarke-Harris missed a penalty as Town and Peterborough remain locked at 0-0 at half-time.
Town boss Paul Lambert made one enforced change with Aaron Drinan replacing James Norwood up front.
Norwood dropped out of the 18 having felt some fatigue in his previously injured hamstring during last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Burton.
Kayden Jackson was also not in the squad having missed training earlier in the week due to thigh and hip injuries.
Winger Luke Thomas, who signed from Barnsley in the week, was among the subs, as was Jon Nolan, who had previously been out with a calf problem. Town’s other new loan signing, Josh Harrop, is self-isolating having tested positive for Covid-19.
Posh made one change from the team which beat Charlton 2-1 in midweek with midfielder Reece Brown coming in for Ethan Hamilton, who was among the subs.
After the two teams had taken a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, the game got under way with Peterborough controlling the early stages but without either keeper being tested.
Town gradually began to show more and on 16 Teddy Bishop won a free-kick five yards outside the penalty area to the right. The ball was played short to the midfielder on the edge of the area, where he worked himself space to hit a shot which deflected wide.
Five minutes later, former Posh wideman Gwion Edwards won a free-kick on the left, although the decision looked harsh on the visitors, and Alan Judge scraped a strike past Christy Pym’s right post with the keeper never looking in any trouble.
Clarke-Harris struck a powerful 25-yard free-kick only just over Tomas Holy’s cross-bar in the 25th minute but with the Town keeper similarly unflustered.
Just before the half hour, Sammie Szmodics, under pressure from Dozzell, was able to turn the ball into the path of Siriki Dembele breaking down the left. The former Grimsby striker took it on into the area and hit a shot which looked to be going wide before Holy’s right hand made sure.
In the 33rd minute the visitors were handed a golden opportunity to go in front when Toto Nsiala lunged in to make a challenge on Dembele in the area. Referee Antony Coggins didn’t appear to be that interested until his assistant on the right-hand side after a long wait waved his flag and the Oxfordshire-based official pointed to the spot.
However, fortunately for the Blues, Clarke-Harris smashed his penalty very powerfully straight down the middle but too high.
The visitors didn’t seem unduly affected by their penalty miss and in the 43rd minute again weren’t far away from the opening goal.
Dan Butler’s whipped over a free-kick from the right which somehow avoided everyone in the area and flashed past the far post.
Just before the whistle, Jack Taylor was booked for a foul on Bishop inside the centre circle as the Blues broke.
A not particularly memorable half with neither side having recorded a shot on target with the visitors’ penalty the only really significant opportunity, although Dembele might feel he could have done better with his earlier chance.
Prior to the penalty, the Blues had started play more in the Peterborough half but without being able to create a chance and having had a tendency to give the ball away. Posh seemed buoyed by their penalty, even if they had missed it and had looked more threatening in the spell which followed.
Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, McGuinness, Ward, Dozzell, Downes, Bishop, Judge, Drinan, Edwards. Subs: Cornell, Woolfenden, Kenlock, Huws, Nolan, Thomas, Sears.
Peterborough: Pym, Butler, Thompson, Beevers (c), Kent, Taylor, Clarke-Harris, Dembele, Brown, Szmodics, Kanu. Subs: Gyollai, Eisa, Broom, Burrows, Jones, Hamilton, Mason. Referee: Antony Coggins (Oxfordshire).