Cole Skuse admits City's unfortunate habit of conceding late goals is becoming a growing concern.

Although they could never quite lay claim to feeling comfortable while they led through the midfielder's first goal of the season, Bristol City must have thought the points were safely in the bag when the fourth official raised his board to signal three minutes of time added on.

As he did so, George Boyd rose to apply a head to a Danny Rose cross from the right and the ball sailed over the out-stretched arm of goalkeeper Dean Gerken and careered in off the inside of a post to signal another two points squandered.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the home side and their supporters, but, in the light of recent events, there was a degree of inevitability about the outcome.

Leading 2-0 at Preston with eight minutes to play on the opening day of the Championship campaign, City allowed themselves to be pegged back, Callum Davidson's last-gasp penalty deep into injury time salvaging a point the Lilywhites scarcely deserved.

City experienced that sinking feeling again when Grant McCann netted an injury-time equaliser for Scunthorpe United at Ashton Gate last month. No wonder Boyd's header, delivered at the death, conjured a feeling of deja-vu.

Without those late goals, Gary Johnson's team would now be sitting pretty in the play-off positions, free from anxiety and looking forward to the next game against Plymouth Argyle tomorrow night. As it is, they are instead falling prey to uncertainty.

Skuse said: "These late goals are affecting us. Even the best teams in the Premier League concede late on in games and good sides are going to take risks and put you under pressure if they are behind in the closing stages. But it's happened to us on a few occasions already this season and it's frustrating. Peterborough will say they deserved a point but, at that stage of the game, we felt we'd done enough to get all three.

"I don't think it's something we consciously worry about when we're out on the park, but we do sometimes tend to sit a bit deep and we're bitterly disappointed not to have seen the game out."

At the heart of the problem is City's inability to add a second goal and kill opposition sides off when leading. Certainly, they had chances to put lowly Posh, who have yet to keep a clean sheet in 12 outings this season, in their place and, had Nicky Maynard taken advantage of the clear-cut chance that fell to him after just five minutes, the home side may well have gone on to establish the daylight they craved.

They also had second-half chances to put the game beyond the Championship newcomers, but were frustrated by Posh keeper Joe Lewis, who displayed bravery when diving at the feet of Maynard and substitute Danny Haynes, and stunning agility when going full length to palm away Lee Johnson's dipping drive from the edge of the penalty area. Deprived of natural width and unable to get behind a defence which visibly grew in stature as the minutes elapsed, City all too often ran into blind alleyways.

No matter. Skuse's fifth career goal should still have afforded his team the platform and assurance required to go on and forge victory on a ground where City have not lost a League game in 17 outings dating back to December last year.

Although the Bristolian will derive immense personal satisfaction from the manner in which he surged forward from a central midfield position, dropped his shoulder and galloped past three tackle-shy blue and white-shirted defenders before shooting beneath Lewis, his goal revealed the defensive shortcomings which have consigned Posh to the bottom three since they ascended from League One.

Skuse said: "The manager has been getting on at me to go forward more and get myself into those kinds of situations. I tried it a few times in a practice match against the youth team last week and decided to try and incorporate it into my game today."

It is an example City's other midfielders perhaps ought to learn from, given the team's increasing dependence on Maynard, their main source of goals so far this season.

If conceding goals has become Peterborough's Achilles heel, scoring them has seldom been a problem for a side which registered in excess of 200 in two seasons while winning back-to-back promotions. In Boyd, Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith, they boast forward-thinking players who appear eminently at home in the Championship.

Darren Ferguson's team only know one way to play and their speed of foot and thought created numerous problems for a City defence which had to pull out all the stops to stay afloat.

It was fortunate for the home side that Mackail-Smith's finishing did not match his prodigious work-rate. Sent clear by Boyd's slide-rule pass in the opening moments, the striker delayed his shot and allowed Gerken to make a brave save at his feet.

Bristol City's keeper excelled himself midway through the second half, flinging out a leg to make an unbelievable reaction save from Mackail-Smith after the dangerous Boyd had launched another incisive foray into the 18-yard box.

Chris Whelpdale and Tommy Rowe both went close and Peterborough must have feared the goal their enterprising approach play warranted was going to elude them when the ubiquitous Boyd popped up to deliver a last-gasp reprieve.