Jonson Clarke-Harris scored a crucial late penalty for struggling Peterborough to help secure a 2-2 draw against Stoke.
The striker’s second goal of the match in the first minute of injury time helped the home side come from behind for a second time as the visitors once again let a lead slip late on.
Stoke had scored a penalty of their own through Lewis Baker in the 84th minute which looked to have secured a first win in eight in all competitions after a cross bounced up and hit Peterborough defender Josh Knight on the hand.
But when substitute Ricky-Jade Jones’ mazy run was ended by a foul from James Chester, Clarke-Harris found the net to narrow the gap to safety to six points.
Stoke felt they should have had another penalty when Josh Maja went down under pressure from Knight, but they had to settle for a point. The Potters had taken a first-half lead through Jacob Brown, with Clarke-Harris replying five minutes later.
Peterborough may have closed the gap on fourth-bottom Reading after consecutive 1-1 draws, but there are just 10 games left and they have not won in the league since December 11 – 14 matches ago.
Stoke, who started the match in 15th, began brightly and nearly took the lead in the seventh minute when Demeaco Duhaney hit a curling effort from the right, but the ball hit the post and bounced out to safety.
The next chance arrived just a minute later when Josh Tymon sprinted past Joe Ward and sent over a cross from the left which Brown headed wide.
However, the striker was more clinical in the 28th minute. Joe Allen seized on a poor clearance to slip him in down the right-hand side of the area and Brown produced an excellent finish low across the goal and past David Cornell in the Peterborough net.
The home side had shown no attacking threat until that point, so it was a surprise when they equalised five minutes later. It was a nice move from Posh beginning with a surging run from Knight who found Jeando Fuchs in the Stoke area – the ball then came to Clarke-Harris who curled in a superb left-footed strike from 18 yards out for his sixth goal of the season.
Frankie Kent also headed wide for the hosts from a Harrison Burrows free-kick, but Brown should have restored Stoke’s lead 12 minutes into the second half but he skied his shot from inside the area after Tymon had burst past Ronnie Edwards and sent in a low cross.
The visitors, though, nearly conceded a comical goal when goalkeeper Jack Bonham dropped the ball onto Clarke-Harris, but fortunately for him the ball bounced narrowly wide of the post.
Both sides pushed for a winner, and it appeared Stoke would go home with three points after Knight’s handball allowed Baker to thump home a penalty on 84 minutes.
But Jones’ superb run and Clarke-Harris’ low spot-kick earned Peterborough a point.
