It's three League One defeats in a row for Peterborough United after a poor performance at Portsmouth

Not even the advantage of taking a 20th minute lead through Ricky-Jade Jones could stop the rot. Posh, who had played some decent stuff in the early stages with Jones at the heart of it, simply eased off and waited for bad things to happen, which they did at regular intervals.

Three goals scored from inside the six yard box delivered a 3-1 win for the unbeaten home side. They would have won by more, but for the elastic frame of Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic.

Posh wilted badly in the second-half and a side with no starter over the age of 24 were bullied by bigger, stronger and more mature players. LIttle was seen of the composed and pretty passing patterns of the previous five games.

Only when Pompey midfielder Joe Morrell was sent off six minutes from time did Posh threaten, but even then debutant Zak Sturge managed to miss an open goal from eight yards, halfway through nine minutes of added time.

Predictably the transfer deadline mental extertions suffered by Jonson Clarke-Harris kept him out of the matchday squad. The absence of the big man meant, while the average age of the team went down, the speed averages shot up. Not that it helped over 90 minutes.

Skipper Ephron Mason-Clark was given the Clarke-Harris role in the middle of a front three with Ricky-Jade Jones deployed on the left.

The rest of the starting line-up also started last weekend’s defeat at the hands of Derby County. New signings from the Premier League, defenders Sturge and Jadel Katongo, were on the substitutes’ bench.

The Posh play-off goalkeeper from last season Will Norris was between the sticks for Pompey, a side that had just set a club record of 16 unbeaten Football League games. Not that the run has entirely pleased the Fratton Park faithful with words like ‘boring’ and ‘inspid’ bandied about after a second goalless draw in a row last weekend.

The crowd were soon restless here as Posh looked a threat with their pace and mobility. Jones enjoyed one of those purple patches when he was unplayable for 20 minutes.

He streaked into the penalty area on five minutes only to be denied by Norris at his near post, but on 20 minutes the locally reared youngster struck, finishing off a fine passing move, by accepting Kwame Poku’s pass, jinking inside and finishing expertly.

Jones was soon volleying a deep Poku cross wide before Pompey stirred. They played some neat football through midfield and found joy with right wing-back Zak Swanson, but Ronnie Edwards delivered a couple of strong blocks to thwart Colby Bishop and Christian Saydee.

Posh struggled to keep the ball when they did get it and paid the price six minutes before the break when Bishop headed Swanson’s cross home from close range. There was no pressure on Swanson’s delivery.

And three minutes later a poor Gavin Whyte cross following a short corner should have been cleared easily, but Romoney Crichlow managed to swipe the ball backwards where Abu Kamara was waiting to pounce. Crichlow had escaped early in the game with a poor ball across his own area earlier thanks to his goalkeeper.

Posh responded to both goals well. Hector Kyprianou met a fine Harrison Burrows cross with a firm 12 yard header that was too straight to trouble Norris and when Mason-Clark robbed Conor Shaugnessy and fed Joel Randall it looked for all the world as though Poku had a headed tap-in, but he went for the cross with his feet and missed it altogether.

Posh had half a chance at the start of the second-half when a Poku shot was deflected and Jones miskicked the rebound, but it looked like men against boys in the other penalty area as Posh struggled aerially, while also neglecting to mark properly.

Kyprianou headed against his own bar and Bilokapic made excellents saves to thwart Saydee and Kamara, but pressure told just before the hour mark when first Marlon Pack, then Kamara and finally Regan Poole were all given the freedom to act as they pleased with the latter volleying home from close range.

And Pompey didn’t let up. They kept playing the ball into the penalty area in the knowledge they would win the first, and probably the second, contact.

Bilokapic made another fine stop to keep out an accidental shot from Swanson and there too many balls allowed to bobble around the Posh penalty area.

Posh did receive a boost when Morrell was despatched by referee David Rock. They dominated the final dozen minutes, but Poku poked wide at the far post following a shot from David Ajiboye and Sturge somehow missed his opportunity for a debut goal after fine work from Peter Kioso.

Sturge had seen a fierce shot palmed over by a Norris a couple of minutes earlier, but it was far too little too late for Posh who delivered comfortably their worst display of the season.

They don’t play a league game again for a fortnight which might be a good thing given all the comings and goings of the previous 48 hours.

Posh: Nicholas Bilokapic, Harrison Burrows, Romoney Crichlow (sub Josh Knight, 78 mins), Ronnie Edwards, Peter Kioso, Hector Kyprianou, Archie Collins, Joel Randall (sub Zak Sturge, 78 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones (sub David Ajiboye, 64 mins), Kwame Poku, Ephron Mason-Clark

Unused subs: Fynn Talley, J Jadel Katongo, Ryan De Havilland, Kai Corbett

Portsmouth: Will Norris, Zak Swanson (sub Alex Robertson, 88 mins), Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Connor Ogilvie, Joe Morrell, Marlon Pack, Gavin Whyte (sub Paddy Lane, 68 mins), Christian Saydee (sub Sean Raggett, 88 mins), Abu Kamara (sub Jack Soarkes, 82 mins), Colby Bishop

Unused subs: Ryan Schofield, Ryley Towler, Terry Devlin.

Goals: Posh – Jones (20 mins).

Portsmouth – Bishop (39 mins), Kamara (43 mins), Poole (59 mins).

Sending off: Portsmouth – Morrell (foul, second yellow).

Cautions: Posh – Mason-Clark (foul), Sturge (foul), Kyprianou (foul).

Portsmouth – Poole (foul), Morrell (foul).

Referee: David Rock 5.

Attendance: 17,814 (567 Posh).