Peterborough United need some transfer window wizardy to save this season and the abysmal statistics that suggest mid-table obscurity and irrelevance is the most likely outcome

The statistics are damning.

Promotion-winning sides don’t lose to virtually every half decent side they meet. Posh have had 12 games against teams in the top half of the table and lost 10 of them. They’ve managed to lose 6-1 on aggregate to Wycombe Wanderers, a team better known for sucking the life out of games rather than attacking brilliance, following a New Year’s Day debacle. Posh have beaten third-placed Sheffield Wednesday, who were reduced to 10 men after 30 minutes, and Port Vale, who have now caught Grant McCann’s men on points. In contrasty Wycombe have beaten three top 10 teams in the last fortnight.

Promotion-winning sides don’t capitulate at the first sign of adversity. They fight until the last minute and often rescue points in the final stages. Posh are 8-1 down in goals scored in the final 15 minutes of matches this season and they have the 17th best record in the division in the second-half of games.

That one late goal was scored by Ephron Mason-Clark at Exeter and Posh still conceded twice in the final five minutes to lose 3-2.

All Posh have been consistently been good at all season is beating bad sides at home. Thankfully there are still a couple still to visit London Road and they might well need to be beaten just to ensure mid-table is the worst it gets this season. They could already be 10th before they play again.

TALKING POINTS FROM POSH 0, WYCOMBE 3…

1) Posh had hope at half-time. They trailed to a quality free kick, but, quite frankly, Wycombe were awful before the break. They hoofed it long and inaccurately, took advantage of an absurdly lenient referee, and looked suspect at the back whenever Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku stretched their legs. Unfortunately the pair still don’t release the ball at optimum moments so final balls and shots were always poor, but still surely a second-half attacking the London Road End would help? But no. I’ve no idea what happened in the dressing rooms during the break, but Posh emerged lifeless, whereas Wycombe were rampant. Posh were unlucky not to score as a combination of ill luck and sleepy officiating hurt them, but three goals didn’t flatter the visitors (Posh had only conceded six at home before this game) and nor did the three points.

2) There are always big moments in matches and Posh fluffed theirs. Jones stormed clear towards the end of the first-half, but lacked the composure or quality to finish and substitute Ephron Mason-Clark looked to a have a tap-in two minutes after coming on after good work from Hector Kyprianou and Jonson Clarke-Harris, but Ryan Tafazolli’s presence behind him appeared to put him off. It was tough to tell whether or not it was a foul. If not it was a sitter. Three minutes later and Tafazolli had scored at the other end to effectively kill the game off. If Mason-Clark scores McCann can celebrate a great managerial decision, but instead it turned into another tough day and night for him. One hopes he turned his social media accounts off.

3) This was the first time all season Posh had lost by more than two goals. They’d only lost by two goals twice, once at Wycombe. Remarkably, on what’s been seen this season, Posh would go above the sixth-placed Chairboys by winning their game in hand on them so clearly all is not lost just yet, as long as changes are made.

4) A two-week break between games needs to be used well by Posh. They need the lift of new signings by the time they travel to Port Vale on January 16.

I’m not sure the apparent plan of a pair of new full-backs will solve a lot, unless they are Trippier and Shaw. Posh are still crying out for reliable creativity, a dominant centre-back and a partner for Clarke-Harris. It seems self-defeating to send Joe Taylor on rather than Jack Marriott, as ordinary as he has been, when chasing a game.

Presumably Marriott’s impending departure is essentially finalised. He wasn’t even on the bench yesterday despite full fitness.

5) Wycombe are a ‘small’ club at this level only in terms of fanbase no matter what Ainsworth and co try and claim. I doubt the experience and quality of Lewis Wing, Alfie Mawson and Gareth McCleary were attracted to Adams Park by the prettiness of the stadium. Nothing wrong with that of course. It shows admirable ambition. And when it delivers a goal of great quality created by McCleary and converted by Wing as seen at London Road yesterday it justifies the expense. Posh of course appear to be heading in a different direction with a desire to grow their own players though an elite Academy. That’s a long-term project in a sport where few supporters and chairmen are renowned for great patience.

6) I’d love to be a fly on the wall at referee debriefs. I’d love to know why Samuel Barrott decided wrestling was okay in a football match. I’d love to know why he couldn’t see an outfield player drag the ball off his own goaline with his hand. The obvious red card and penalty would have changed nothing in terms of the result yesterday, but it was a bad miss by an official apparently on course for the Championship where, given the standard of officiating up there, he will fit in rather well.