Free-scoring Peterborough United are also so frustrating, but don't place the Boxing Day blame on Ricky, plus what a former Posh star said about his old team's promotion chances

Probably not. It’s actually quite scary how many points Posh would have and how many goals they would have scored if they’d converted even a reasonable amount of the golden chances they create, seemingly in every game.

It happened again on Boxing Day when Posh played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Reading at the Weston Homes Stadium. Darren Ferguson’s men were once more easy on the eye, but 20 shots and 16 corners yielded the same number of goals as the six shots and two corners mustered by Reading.

Troubled Reading played with great spirit, and in winger Femi Azeez, they had the game’s most exciting attacking player, but they should still have soundly beaten, although it’s worth noting the visiting goalkeeper wasn’t exactly over-worked.

TALKING POINTS FROM POSH 2, READING 2…

1) As usual when Posh don’t win after missing simple scoring chances the social media spotlight fell on centre-forward Ricky-Jade Jones, bizarrely on this occasion as he was so poorly served by others he never had a sight of goal all game. Fans have favourites and Ephron Mason-Clark managed to win the sponsors’ man of the match prize even though he missed two simple chances for a man of his quality in the first-half before scoring from a more difficult opportunity after the break. Kwame Poku was the weak link of the Posh attack yesterday. He didn’t get going all game and missed a simple headed opportunity at 1-0.

2) Posh could easily have strolled to victory if a less lenient referee than David Rock had been in charge. His refusal to award Posh a penalty at either of back-to-back corners when Ronnie Edwards was so blatantly impeded by the same player was staggering. Ferguson summed it up nicely: ‘I don’t understand this warning players three or four times about holding into players. It’s a penalty kick if you drag people down in the penalty area. The referee has warned them two or three times, rather than give it. He’s warned them again at half time and then in the second half. The difference is they’ve stopped doing it. It’s too late by then.’ Rock wasn’t as poor as referee Chris Foy at Shrewsbury, but he offered further confirmation of the frustrating officiating level in our game right now.

3) A Posh penalty would have been welcome just to see who would take it. Archie Collins has never missed one apparently, but he hasn’t taken one in either of the two Posh penalty shootouts this season.

4) How pleasing it was to see Collins win so many man of the match nominations from PT readers. He’s a gem of a midfielder with a terrific all-round game. His defensive covering was exceptional yesterday and he was denied a wonderful goal assist by a mistake by an assistant referee, according to Posh at least.

5) Mick Gooding was working in the media at London Road yesterday. The free-scoring midfielder had one outstanding season at Posh and played and managed Reading later in his career. He had no doubts at all about Posh’s promotion prospects. “They will definitely finish in the top two," Gooding told his listeners.

6) Never mind the result on Boxing Day it was another entertaining Posh match. Friday’s home game should be a cracker as the top two scoring teams in the division – Posh and Barnsley meet at London Road. The Tykes won 3-2 at Port Vale yesterday meaning they smashed 10 goals past the Valiants in two matches this season!