A rare blank for Peterborough United as they lose precious ground in the race for automatic promotion

To be fair Posh rarely looked like hitting the back of the net against a stubborn and well organised Lincoln City at Sincil Bank. Indeed ‘The Imps’, who celebrated a goalless home draw and a ninth game without a win like they’d won a big game, missed the best chances of the game.

Only substitute Danny Mandriou will know how he missed from close range within seconds of his entrance. And former Posh man Ethan Hamilton took time off from grabbing opponents at set pieces without the threat of punishment, to side-foot badly wide from the edge of the penalty area after the pitch had opened up in front of him.

Posh huffed and puffed in the second period, but the passing precision was well down on normal standards. Ephron Mason-Clark saw a ‘goal’ wiped out for offside 12 minutes from time and Ricky-Jade Jones struck the crossbar in first-half added time, but there were no clear-cut chances created at all, and that hasn’t been said all season.

The unbeaten run has stretched to 12 games, but results elsewhere, apart from in Barnsley, were unkind so it was a frustrating day for Posh and their manager, who picked up yet another caution for dissent.

The Posh team news was more eagerly-anticipated than usual with speculation over the goalkeeping situation of particular interest. As it happens Posh named an unchanged side from their previous League One fixture which meant Jed Steer holding on to the number one spot with fit-again Nicholas Bilokapic on the substitutes’ bench and Fynn Talley starting for the club Under 21s. Talley went from playing in a famous win in front of 30,000 at Derby County to playing at Deeping Rangers FC in under a month.

There was more interest in the Posh substitutes’ bench than normal as well, as Jonson Clarke-Harris returned after a two-game spell outside the squad looking in. Jacob Wakeling was another to be sent to Deeping.

Former Posh forward Joe Taylor was in the Lincoln starting line-up, but he was never a threat and left the game well before the end.

Posh expected to meet a Lincoln side who were well organised defensively and who offered little space in which to play, the most necessary of tactics against these opponents, although in the first-half Posh played as though they were completely unprepared for it.

Not until the last minute of the half did Posh manage to string three passes together when Jadel Katongo and David Ajiboye presented Jones with half a chance that he steered unluckily on to the crossbar.

Other than that Posh offered nothing with most attacking attempts floundering as soon as they got near the Lincoln penalty area.

Lincoln were little better, although they had a potent weapon with a long throw from either side. From the first of the game Reeco Hackett fired over, but, apart from a Lasse Soresen effort that whistled into the side netting they too found chances hard to create.

Ethan Erhahon steered one presentable opportunity straight at Steer, to match one from distance Joel Randall tried earlier in the game at the other end.

The tempo increased after the break, but Posh still found it hard to fashion a decent opportunity. Harrison Burrows was denied by a flying save on 51 minutes, but they didn’t test home ‘keeper Lukas Jensen again.

Lincoln sat deep and gave up trying to win towards the end which was a little weird as pressing Posh caused errors and chances.

Hackett was denied by a fine Steer save after bursting into the box and Mandriou took advantage of a kind ricochet to find the ball at his feet six yards from goal. Josh Knight delivered a brilliant block to thwart the first attempt, but the second was fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

Knight’s mistake than gave Freddie Draper a shooting chance that was spurned before a quick break saw Hamilton bearing down on the goal, but he also failed to hit the target.

It was that sort of afternoon, unusually for Posh who had last failed to score at Northampton Town in August.

Posh: Jed Steer, Harrison Burrows, Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight, Jadel Katongo, Hector Kyprianou, Archie Collins, Eprhon Mason-Clark, Joel Randall (sub Ryan De Havilland, 65 mins), David Ajiboye (sub Jonson Clarke-Harris, 65 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones (sub Malik Mothersille, 86 mins).

Unused subs: Nicholas Bilokapic, Romoney Crichlow, Jeando Fuchs, Emmanuel Fernandez.

Lincoln: Lukas Jensen, Alex Mitchell, Adam Jackson, Sean Roughan, Ethan Erhahon, Teddy Bishop (sub Daniel Mandroiu, 65 mins), Ethan Hamilton, Lasse Sorensen, Reeco Hackett (sub Jack Burrough, 45 + 3 mins), Joe Taylor (sub Jack Moylan, 65 mins)., Freddie Draper (sub Jovon Makama, 81 mins).

Unused subs: Jordan Wright, Jack Burroughs, Dylan Duffy, Timothy Eyoma,

CAUTIONS: Posh – Burrows (handball), Ferguson (manager, dissent)

Lincoln – Hackett (foul)

REFEREE: Thomas Parsons 6.

ATTENDANCE: 9,647 (1,892 Posh).