Peterborough United manager Grant McCann right to take responsibility for defeat with needless changes, Posh's woeful record in the last 15 minutes, the lack of impact off the bench analysed and fair play Jevani Brown

McCann was willing to accept his share of the blame for the 3-2 defeat, even going as far to say he had let everyone down for making the change to three at the back immediately after taking the lead at 2-1.

The boss, while showing courage to take it upon himself, is right to.

It is said in football that you are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored and perhaps that is even more true when you switch from a formation that was seeing Posh dominate the ball and limiting Exeter’s to very little in favour of a formation that, historically, has led to Posh sitting in their own box and soaking up pressure.

Alongside the fact that the Posh defence has shown itself incredibly susceptible to balls launched into the box- it seemed to make little sense to choose to invite pressure when there was none to begin with. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as more defenders meaning you are less likely to concede.

It wasn’t even as if Posh brought on another centre-back either with both Frankie Kent and Josh Knight unavailable. It was still Harrison Burrows going up for the header at the post that led to Nombe’s equaliser.

Just after the hour mark, Posh had a little five-minute spell where they took their foot off the gas and their opponents, who had scored 28 in 17 games, poured forward and created a couple of half-chances. Posh quickly recovered but that should have served as the required warning that this was not an opposition that should be invited on.

The fact that Posh had all of the ball in the second half and have very few clear-cut chances to rue is a separate issue but the game was ultimately lost by the needless tinkering.

Yes, the players should have dealt better with the change of system but it is disruptive changing shape, especially when you are plugging yourself back into the game after wildly celebrating a goal.

Just one moment is enough to be costly and there was no need to put them in that position.

OTHER TALKING POINTS

1 Grant McCann went on to lay into his bench options and insisted that no one has made an impact off the bench since the opening day at Cheltenham. He is right, Josh Knight is the only player in League One to come off the bench and score for Posh since then. He did it at Derby in August but then proceeded to fail to help Posh hold the lead he has given them, undoing that good work somewhat. Posh have also failed to score after making their first substitution in 12 of their 18 league matches this season.

2 McCann’s such open criticism of his players is a radical departure from the undying faith he declared in them in August after back-to-back cup defeats against Stevenage. He said: “I have a firm belief in this group and that will never die. I will back them to the hilt.” Either he has changed his mind or he is trying to wake some of his side up- either way their response between now and January will be fascinating.

3 Those three points dropped from a winning position make it 14 dropped in just 18 league games for Posh. Of those 14, 12 have been dropped on the road- at Derby, Portsmouth, Wycombe and Exeter. All tough games but just seven of those back would take Posh into the automatic promotion places and 11 would see them top. Posh’s destiny has been in their hands and they’ve let it slip through their fingers too many times.

4 This rather goes hand in hand with the previous point. Ephron Mason-Clark’s 81st-minute goal on Saturday is now the latest Posh have scored in the league. The previous record was Jack Taylor in the 75th minute against Sheffield Wednesday. That makes it two scored but in contrast, Posh have conceded nine times in the final 15 minutes of League One matches. They are not only losing winning positions but losing them late.

5 Fair play to Jevani Brown. There is usually a level of frustration when a returning player scores against Posh. While I was obviously not punching the air at the winning goal. I did not feel any animosity towards Brown at all. I thought he spoke incredibly maturely in the week when he admitted he was the problem at Posh, not the club. Clearly a man that has done a lot of growing up in the last ten years. Credit to him.