I'll start by saying that up until the first goal the game was absolutely dreadful to watch and I've seen better football played in my back garden. Stoke's long ball tactic was bearing no fruit but instead of playing the better football Pompey decided to mirror Tony Pulis' tactics which resulted in a dire match.
The only moment of quality came in the 75th minute when David Nugent and Niko Kranjcar exchanged passes and allowed the Croat to shoot past Thomas Sorenson for what many thought would be the only goal in a game where neither side looked like scoring.
Prior to the game I looked at the back of the matchday programme I thought to myself "I've never heard of this referee Mike Jones before..." but he soon etched himself into the memories of all Pompey fans with one of the worst penalty decisions of the season just a minute after we had taken the lead.
If I can see that the ball hit Glen Johnson's shoulder from the top of the away end at the Britannia Stadium then how can Jones not see it from yards away regardless if he leant into the ball? James "Scummer" Beattie stepped up to equalise and celebrate with an ear cup in true panto villain style.
Our heads dropped, Stoke's tails were up and Beattie had given them the lead just two minutes later with a goal that looked clearly offside. However, TV replays show that Hermann Hreidarsson was playing the ex-Scummer on so there are no complaints from me.
But just as it looked like Pompey would suffer an undeserved and infuriating defeat, some tentative defending from Stoke allowed Hreidarsson to hammer a shot towards goal in stoppage time that Ryan Shawcross guided into his own net!
A mixture of joy and relief could be felt all around the away end after full time. I suppose you could say a draw was a fair result as both sides were terrible going forward in a game of little quality.
However, you could easily make a case for us winning too given that we had taken the lead, didn't look under threat and were undone by a terrible decision by a rubbish referee. That led to a switch in confidence and it there was a feeling of inevitability about Stoke's second but had we not conceded the first then I really couldn't see such dire opposition equalising.
The point is better for us than it is for them though and to grab the equaliser in the way we did is really going to dent Stoke's confidence and hopes of surviving in the Premier League.
Another note post-match is that our coachload of supporters spotted Benjani outside the Pompey team coach. Was he simply there to visit old team-mates after watching the game or could there be more to it?
As for ourselves we have to wait until next Tuesday for our next match against Chelsea because our scheduled game with Manchester United on Saturday has been postponed because of their participation in the Carling Cup final where I'm sure all Pompey fans will wish them well.
The break should give us ample time to sort out some things off the pitch like a new manager appointment, perhaps? Maybe there will be an announcement on the rumoured takeover too? I won't hold my breath...
The most important thing is results on the pitch though and defeat would have been disastrous as well as us having to suffer the embarrassment of losing to a dire team whose midfield contained Amdy Faye and Salif Diao.
Onwards and upwards.... bring on the Chelsea?
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 6 - Not to blame for either goal and nothing much to do otherwise.
Glen Johnson: 7 - Tried to go forward and was unfairly penalised for "handball".
Sol Campbell: 7 - Best game in a long time having won nearly everything.
Sylvain Distin: 7 - Equally solid.
Hermann Hreidarsson: 7 - Gives the defence a much more solid look and even offers an attacking threat.
Jermaine Pennant: 6 - Wasn't allowed to get forward as much as he'd have liked.
Sean Davis: 7 - Another good battling display.
Angelos Basinas: 5 - Too many misplaced passes.
Niko Kranjcar: 6 - Was a passenger in the game until he scored.
David Nugent: 5 - Wasted on the wing but ineffective up top with Crouch.
Peter Crouch: 5 - Could do nothing with the long balls forward.
Substitutes
Asmir Begovic
Younes Kaboul
Noe Pamarot
Nadir Belhadj (Nugent 89): N/A - Late switch to get an equaliser.
Hayden Mullins (Basinas 71): 6 - More steady than Basinas.
John Utaka
Kanu (Kranjcar 89): N/A - Late switch to get an equaliser.