Having gone into the weekend on a four-match winning streak in the Championship, there was a perception that Bournemouth were on the right track to close down leaders Fulham.
However, their previous two successes had come through late comebacks, and the Cherries’ luck ran out on Saturday as Preston North End came from behind to win 2-1 at Deepdale.
Tensions boiled over during the closing stages as manager Parker and one of his players were sent off, with the capitulation leading to Bournemouth dropping behind Huddersfield Town.
On a positive note, they still possess four matches in hand on the Terriers, making them clear favourites to quickly move back into the top two, but Parker will want an immediate improvement from his squad.
While eight goals have been scored in their last five Championship fixtures, five efforts have been conceded over the same period, something which may hand encouragement to their next opponents.
After giving a solid account of themselves against Manchester City in the FA Cup, Peterborough had hoped to build on that performance at Huddersfield three days later.
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However, conceding twice in the opening seven minutes effectively ended the game as a contest, and it leaves Grant McCann continuing to hope for miracles during the closing two months of the season.
Although there have been times in recent weeks where Posh have shown some fight, they have now scored just one goal in eight games, that strike coming in the 89th minute of a defeat at Fulham.
Peterborough have also lost 16 of their 18 matches on their travels this season, scoring just nine goals, and it would come as a huge surprise if they were able to lay a glove on their hosts on the South Coast
