Peterborough United, Leyton Orient and a referee delivered a dire spectacle

Posh lacked quality throughout despite employing three different formations. They ran out of ideas well before the end of a scrappy affair presided over by a referee who presumably didn’t get the memo about punishing timewasters.

To add on five minutes in total in this game was a dereliction of duty. Orient’s right centre-back Tom James regulary walked slowly 50 yards to take long throws on the other side of the pitch.

But Mr Tallis, refereeing his first match at this level, wasn’t the reason Posh didn’t win. It’s a racing certainty manager Darren Ferguson’s post-match press conference would mention a lack of a cutting edge and poor decision making in the final third.

Posh did take the lead through former Orient midfielder Hector Kyprianou following a corner, but the Londoners were level within 11 minutes as Omar Beckles finished one of the few moments of quality in the entire game by heading home Jordan Graham’s terrific cross,

Posh looked good either side of half-time, but failed to work visiting ‘keeper Sol Brynn. Indeed the best chance in the final quarter fell to Orient substitute who blazed over the crossbar.

Ferguson sprang something of a selection surprise by leaving on-loan Premier League teenagers Zak Sturge and Jadel Katongo on the substitutes’ bench.

There were three changes to the last League One starting line-up though with Jonson Clarke-Harris replacing injury victim Ricky-Jade Jones and Ryan De Havilland and Josh Knight starting with Joel Randall and Romoney Crichlow dropped to the substitutes’ bench. Recent striker signing Jacob Wakeling was also on the bench.

The biggest surprise however was the return of the midfield diamond with Kwame Poku at the tip. How it stayed in place for over half an hour of stodgy, slow football was another mystery.

Only when Peter Kioso was galloping down the right wing from the full-back position did Posh look a threat. There was no threat at all down the left where a lack of pace is an obvious problem, with the obvious solution kicking his heels on the bench.

Poku’s shot was well blocked by Beckles after an 11th-minute Kioso cutback after the right-back had been freed by a superb Kyprianou pass.

Posh did take the lead in the 21st minute with a scruffy goal from a Harrison Burrows corner. Josh Knight hooked the ball back across goal where Kyprianou delivered an improvised finish before declining to celebrate.

Posh didn’t improve much though and a couple of weak pieces of play from De Havilland enaled the visitors to equalise. The midfielder lost possession and then didn’t do enough to stop an admittedly fine cross from Graham which Beckles nodded home 12 minutes before the break

Ferguson’s vantage point from the stands must have been the same as the one from the press box as the diamond was instantly abandoned.

Poku and Ephron Mason-Clark were returned to the wings and the threat level immediately increased.