Peterborough United and Salford City play out a dismal bore draw in the FA Cup

Well that’s how it used to be. On this day Peterborough United and Salford served up a low-tempo, low-quality contest in an atmosphere which wouldn’t have caused offence at a funeral.Quite why Salford played for a draw for so long is anyone’s guess. Why would anyone want to go through an ordeal like this again? TV revenue I guess, but if schedulers watched this 90 minutes they’ll reject showing the replay in favour of some banal celebrity spin-off show. Or a Cambridge United game.

Salford had great chances to win the game early and late, whereas Posh created virtually nothing, certainly from open play, despite longs spells of dominance with the ball.

As expected top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris was rested after his personal battering at the hands of Cambridge so a rare chance was offered up front to Jack Marriott with the skipper consigned to the substitutes’ bench.

Kwame Poku, another with an ankle injury, was left out and replaced by Ricky-Jade Jones, while both centre-backs were changed as Kell Watts and Josh Knight replaced Frankie Kent and Ronnie Edwards. Kent, who is suspended from the next League One match, was left out of the matchday squad altogether.

There was a surprise appearance on the substitutes’ bench for 16 year-old Bayley McCann, the son of the Posh manager. Nine subs can be used in FA Cup ties.

It’s traditional to point out the difference in league positions between team in this competition and 28 was the answer today, although the first-half tried to make that statistic a lie.

Salford started brightly, caused Watts a couple of early concerns, and struck the sidenetting in the second minute through Ibou Touray before forcing Lucas Bergstrom into a strong save with his legs on five minutes. Luke Bolton was the shooter.

The visitors have only scored 19 League Two this season and it was easy to see why. They passed the ball well through midfield areas, but wasted many promising positions with a poor cross or final ball.

Posh started to dominate the ball, but only offered easy saves to Salford ‘keeper Tom King. Marriott, Knight and Burrows were the men to test him with the latter’s the best chance from the edge of the penalty area after a strong run from Ephron Mason-Clark down the right wing,

Burrows also inexplicably tried to cut inside when presented with a shooting opportunity on his right foot and that chance disppeared.

It was little better after the break. Referee Tom Nield missed a clear pull-back on Marriott after a neat exchange of passes with Harrison Burrows which irritated the frustrated striker.

The best Posh chance arrived on 54 minutes after a terrific free-kick routine led to Jack Taylor finding Ephron Mason-Clark all alone in the penalty area, but the forward slipped and skied the opportunity well over the crossbar.

Marriott was denied by King after a strong run and shot, Jones wasted a fine heading opportunity from a Mason-Clark cross, Clarke-Harris shot wide a few minutes after being sent on to win the game and two late right-wing crosses from substitute David Ajiboye caused concern as Taylor forced King into a sprawling save before Clarke-Harris cried foul when stopped from reaching the second centre. But it was all tame stuff.

Anyway Posh should have been behind by then as visiting substitute Matty Lund headed badly wide from an 83rd minute free kick.

The last thing Posh needed was an extra away game in the middle of road trips to Exeter and Bristol Rovers, but it seems a suitable punishment for such a sloppy performance.

Posh: Lucas Bergstrom, Dan Butler, Josh Knight, Kel Watts, Nathan Thompson, Jeando Fuchs, Harrison Burrows (sub Ben Thompson, 80 mins), Jack Taylor, Ephron Mason-Clark (sub David Ajiboye, 87 mins), Ricky-Jade Jones (sub Jonson Clarke-Harris, 71 mins), Jack Marriott (sub Jack Marriott, 86 mins).

Unused subs: Will Blackmore, Ronnie Edwards, Hector Kyprianou, Joel Randall, Bayley McCann

Salford: Tom King, Ibou Touray, Ash Eastham, Elliott Watt, Ryan Watson, Ethan Galbraith, Jack Jenkins (sub Matthew Lund, 72 mins), Luke Bolton, Ryan Leak, Marcus Dackers (sub Callum Hendry, 74 mins), Theo Vassell

Unused subs: Jacob Chapman Richard Nartey, Kevin Berkoe, Lorent Tolaj, Elliot Simoes, Matt Smith, Josh O’Brien.

Cautions: Posh – Marriott (foul).

Salford – Galbraith (foul).

Referee: Tom Nield 6

Attendance: 4,031 (135 Salford).