Is there a decent Championship side within the current Peterborough United squad? Why the manager is playing with three centre-backs, Luton’s impressive achievement, but poor game management, refereeing weakness and where was this Clarke-Harris earlier in the season?

Not often enough obviously. Six wins in 40 matches is an honest reflection of the season, but as relegation looms ever larger, Posh fans will surely sieze on any crumbs of comfort.

There were some to be found at London Road last night (April 5) as Posh were a couple of sitters and the width of a goalpost away from defeating the second tier’s surprise promotion contenders, Luton Town. Both managers insisted Posh deserved to win rather than settle for a 1-1 draw.

Of course Posh needed points not plaudits, but they also need something to build on for a hoped-for promotion push from League One next season and last night there was a visible platform in the power of in-form striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, the battling qualities of a backline put under severe physical pressure and the crossing quality, at times, from wingbacks Harrison Burrows and Joe Ward.

Those attributes need to be on view every game though and that is the challenge for manager Grant McCann, his staff and his team.

TALKING POINTS FROM POSH 1, LUTON 1...

1) McCann was interesting on his current insistence on playing with three centre-backs. It’s an understandable thought process even if Posh created all their best chances after they’d switched to a 4-3-3 formation 15 minutes from time. “I’m restricted in what I can do,” McCann said. “I don’t have much flexibility in what I can do as I have no left-back as Dan Butler is injured. Harrison Burrows and Joe Ward are not full-backs. They are attacking players. I did switch to 4-3-3 as we were chasing the game and I felt we would hurt them by pushing their wing-backs back and we did.” McCann clearly doesn’t fancy on-loan full-backs Bali Mumba and Hayden Coulson, understandably so on what’s been seen of them since they arrived in January.

2) I’ll never understand the mentality of footballers and managers. Taking the lead against the team at the bottom of the table should have won the match for Luton. Attack even harder against a side who can’t have a lot of confidence to try and kill them off should have been the way forward. Instead Luton slowed the game right down. They started wasting time and concentrated on seeing the game out, while goalscorer Danny Hylton spent his time trying to wind up the home fans, when this most immature of footballers wasn’t throwing himself to the ground. It backfired horribly and Luton ended up deservedly dropping points in the easiest fixture they have remaining this season.

3) But it’s hard not to admire the work of Luton manager Nathan Jones and his coaching staff. How they have got this set of players into fourth place is a remarkable achievement. A glance at this Luton teamsheet on the first day of the season and you’d fancy Posh could turn them over, but the Hatters started, and ended as it happens, this contest a massive 38 points clear of their opponents. Their style of play was ugly last night, but if it has worked this well then fair play to them. They have recruited power and pace which some of us were advising Posh to do in the summer without success.

4) Posh will look back with regret on many things when the season debrief gets under way in May. The early-season fitness of Jonson Clarke-Harris will be one interesting conversation. The Clarke-Harris we are seeing now is a goalscoring menace to opposition defenders, one capable of enjoying a 20-goal season at Championship level. He made it 10 for this season with a well-placed header and smacked a superb 25-yard shot against the post in the final seconds.

5) Jack Taylor should have won the game for Posh deep into injury time. He had the time and space to sidefoot a superb Harrison Burrows cross home from close range rather than attempt a diving header. But it was still encouraging to see Taylor arrive in the penalty area late and unmarked. He is capable of scoring 10 goals from midfield if used properly.

6) Referee Thomas Bramall was a soft touch for the streetwise Luton Town players last night. He smiled his way through some blatant timewasting without once appearing to insist the visitors got a move on. He indulged some rather obvious theatrics from Hylton and Pelly Mpanzu without ever threating a sanction, even after the latter player had been booked. It was up there with one of weakest officiating performances seen at London Road this season.