Peterborough 2 Portsmouth 1: Neil Allen's verdict - The mask slips as new boss discovers the real Blues and their age-old problems

On Saturday, the gaping wound beneath was exposed once more, no longer capable of being patched up. The cut remains severe, the pain has never truly departed.

An instant return of successive victories under John Mousinho was rightly applauded, yet simply masked deep-lying issues which can never be satisfactorily resolved purely by appointing a new man at Pompey’s helm.

Certainly the Blues’ head coach will have learnt more about his squad over 90 minutes at Peterborough than from the triumphs against Exeter and Fleetwood which greeted his arrival.

Mousinho, who meticulously pored over recent Pompey displays as part of his Fratton Park entrance exam, was surely well aware that he was being misled.

For the glaring inadequacies which frustratingly characterised the final four months of Danny Cowley’s era clambered to the surface once more on a sobering afternoon at London Road.

As if the January departures of Josh Koroma, Josh Griffiths and Michael Morrison, coupled with a 4-3-3 system switch, were really going to cure all Pompey’s ills and resuscitate their season.

Instead, Peterborough pinned up X-rays to reveal a side chronically lacking pace, starved of creativity, and patently not good enough to match those genuinely challenging for the play-offs – Darren Ferguson's team included.

If anything, the 2-1 scoreline flattered the Blues, who, but for a strong finish inspired by Mousinho’s substitutions and Matt Macey, would have suffered an emphatic defeat, bordering on a landslide.

Improbably, had Reeco Hackett’s goal not been controversially disallowed, the visitors may have even fled into the Cambridgeshire night with an ill-deserved point.

Not wishing to downplay the encouraging late response which ensured the fixture ended on a reasonable high for 1,561 travelling faithful, but that shouldn’t be allowed to define a performance over the full 90 minutes.

Admittedly, the 58th minute introduction of Hackett and, to a lesser extent Michael Jacobs, transformed the Blues’ performance as a comfortable Posh inexplicably began to panic.

It wasn’t until the 86th minute before they final pulled one back, albeit Nathan Thompson deflecting a cross past his keeper for an own goal, yet that brief moment of cheer had been coming.

Indeed, the gasps from home fans which greeted the fourth official’s declaration of six minutes of time added-on indicated their concerns as the visitors drove forward for an equaliser.

It was a heartening late fight few could have anticipated, but at least demonstrated a strength of character once more following triumphing at Fleetwood with 10 men earlier in the week.

Still, for roughly the opening hour of their trip to Peterborough, this was the Pompey we know and hate as bad habits returned and bleak reality came crashing back.

The start of the second half was particularly painful viewing as Ferguson’s men, already 2-0 up at the break through Jonson Clarke-Harris following generous defending, swamped the goal, threatening to net with every attack.

Eyes turned pleadingly to Mousinho, patrolling the touchline and still without an assistant. Could the head coach produce a tactical masterplan to not only plug the deluge but someone inspire a fightback?

The outcome was undoubtedly encouraging, another early challenge well negotiated by the fledgling boss, who initially brought on Hackett in a central role to replace Louis Thompson.

There was an improvement, significantly, and it was the enigmatic attacker who provided the game’s most debatable moment when he pulled one back in the 76th minute with a smart left-footed finish.

Hackett hadn't played a minute under Mousinho before his London Road outing, having been an unused substitute in both the head coach’s opening matches.

No doubt armed with a point to prove, he dragged the Blues further up the pitch, adding more meaningful attacking intent than Thompson, while proving infinitely more effective than the disappointing Owen.

Then, with that trusty left foot of his, Hackett reduced the deficit – and how he celebrated. Clearly pent-up frustration was allowed to explode in that joyous moment.

Then referee Bobby Madley, who had already been met with protests from goalkeeper Will Norris, opted to discuss the goal with his assistant – despite no flag being raised.

Amid the confusion, the pair decided Dane Scarlett had been offside in the build-up, with the goal subsequently ruled out, much to the delight of gloating home fans.

Not that it disheartened the Blues, who continued to press for a way back into the game, yet, even with the older Thompson brother’s help, it wasn’t quite enough.

Nonetheless, Pompey’s defeat had been inflicted by their showing earlier in the match as the hosts dominated possession, while, tellingly, it took until the 67th minute before Mousinho’s troops even mustered a shot on target.

That attempt from Scarlett was met with chants of ‘We’ve had a shot' from the away support, who had previously voiced delight about finally having the ball.

The head coach, of course, had been forced to change a winning team, with Joe Morrell serving a one-match ban and Ronan Curtis sidelined by the ankle injury sustained at Fleetwood.

Keen to retain the 4-3-3 system which had brought consecutive wins, Mousinho handed Louis Thompson his first start in the five months since breaking his leg against Bristol Rovers.

The other alteration was Scarlett’s promotion from the bench to operate on the left on the front three, yet both struggled to stamp their authority against a Peterborough team a level above recent opposition.

Regardless, awful defending gifted the ever-dangerous Clarke-Harris the opening goal on 17 minutes.

Kwame Poku right-wing cross somehow went through Ryley Towler and Sean Raggett to find its way to the unmarked Posh striker, who had ghosted in at the far post to finish.

Then, in the 43rd minute, Zak Swanson miscontrolled a loose ball in the area before winning a block tackle in attempts to make amends for his mistake – only to rashly send Ephron Mason-Clark tumbling with his next challenge.

Clarke-Harris converted the penalty to present Peterborough with what proved to be an unassailable lead, irrespective of that late fightback.

Pompey's mask had slipped. New boss, new era, but the same problems stubbornly linger.