Having fallen behind in each of their last four games, City were concious of making a better start at London Road. Yet, despite the best laid plans, the visitors conceded after just eight minutes.

Play-maker-in-chief George Boyd proved the architect-in-chief, turning inside the penalty area to send a rising shot past David James and towards goal. Robins skipper Liam Fontaineaverted any immediate danger by heading off the line, but Lee Tomlin followed up to nod the rebound beyond James' despairing dive to give Posh the perfect start.

City's starting line-up showed three changes from the last game, while manager Derek McInnes switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Albert Adomah pushed up alongside Brett Pitman in attack.

Lacking natural width on the right, the visitors looked unbalanced to say the least and struggled to retain possession and mount any sort of sustained pressure during a first-half in which Peterborough demonstrated more of a cutting edge.

If Kalifa Cisse's job was to check Boyd's runs from deep, he was falling short in this department and Peterborough's livewire midfielder was causing more or less constant problems at the head of a diamond shape.

He twice had shots charged down and then set-up David Ball for an angled shot which flew into the side-netting.

Posh should have extended their lead on 27 minutes, only for Ball to shoot weakly at James from 15 yards out with only the former England keeper to beat. Boyd found himself in a similar position moments later when a James miss-kick fell at his feet, but he hesitated and allowedthe keeper to redeem himself with a last-ditch tackle and clearance.

McInnes changed tactics at that point, moving Adomah to his more accustomed position on the right flank and reverting to a 4-5-1 formation which left an isolated Pitman to plow a lone furrow up front. But still the chances continued to materialise for the home side and Gabriel Zakuani met Grant McCann's in-swinging corner with a header that grazed the top of the cross bar.

It took City 37 minutes to threaten the Posh goal. Marvin Elliott got royund the back of the home defence and pulled the ball back for the in-rushing Cisse, whose shot flew woefully high and wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Most of the action was at the other end, however, and James was forced to go full-length to tip over a fierce drive from Tomlin.