Andy Awford has earned a stay of execution after his team earned a credible 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road.
Football can be a funny old game with many fans predicting a pummeling by Luton and those fears increased when the team news revealed that Johnyy Ertl and Andy Barcham were starting whilst Adam Webster somehow kept his place in the team.
However, those fans are now eating a slice of humble pie as those three players were arguably Pompey's best performers on the day whilst the team itself showed much more commitment and organisation than during the defeat to Wimbledon on Boxing Day.
For a while, though, it looked like it would be a case of "same old story" as the hosts took the lead on 13 minutes after Luke Rooney volleyed in Shaun Whalley's cross after a scrappy start to the match.
Pompey's heads didn't drop despite that setback and continued to match their opponents on the pitch until Ertl almost equalised with a stunning dipping volley into the top corner only for Mark Tyler to tip the ball over for a corner.
Mark Cullen almost converted another Whalley cross to double Luton's lead but instead they were pegged back as Jed Wallace crossedthe ball into the box and Ryan Taylor managed to force it over the line in what seemed like slow motion with the fans eventually cheering when the goal was confirmed.
Pompey then dominated the rest of the half with Barcham a threat on the wing but he really should have given his side the lead when Nigel Atangana found him in the box but he could only shoot wide with the goal at his mercy.
The second half was a very dull affair in truth but that was testament to Pompey's stout defending with Jones only really tested once by Cullen whose shot was gathered at the second attempt.
Other than that the home fans were reduced to squinnying for a penalty on a few occasions when they felt that the Pompey players were being too physical in the box.
Awford's men didn't have any real clear cut chances themselves as any crosses into the box were cleared eventually by the Luton defence although they were caught short in stoppage time but the Pompey players opted to keep the ball in the corner rather than try to pinch a late winner with the opposition vulnerable, much to the visiting fans' frustration.
A draw was settled for and Pompey were worth that result in the end simply for showing some bottle on the pitch and every player giving everything rather than being outfought than in previous matches.
It was great to see Webster bounce back from such a poor showing against Wimbledon as he constantly blocked crosses from his area whilst Shorey was solid on the other flank. Ertl may well have had his critics since last season but he was excellent in winning the ball back and getting stuck into the Luton players.
Given that Luton have been so good at home in recent times a draw is an excellent result given the context of Portsmouth's season so far and could be a turning point for Andy Awford now he should keep his job and can be focused on making changes to the squad in January.
He has already made the decision to not renew the loans of Alex Wynter and Matt Fish and so they have returned to Crystal Palace and Gillingham respectively.
But the players on the pitch did him proud today and hopefully that will give the club something to build on heading into 2015 after yet another difficult year in the history of Portsmouth FC.
Pompey Player Ratings
Paul Jones: 7 - Kept cool under pressure.
Adam Webster: 7 - A vast improvement from the last match, stifled Luton attacks from the right ofen.
Paul Robinson: 7 - Won most of the aerial challenges.
Joe Devera: 7 - Solid as always.
Nicky Shorey: 7 - Dependable.
Johnny Ertl: 8 - Best performance in a blue shirt for a long time.
Marcus Bean: 8 - Really got stuck in.
Jed Wallace: 6 - Worked hard but not too influential.
Nigel Atangana: 7 - All-action performance.
Andy Barcham: 7 - A thorn in Luton's side.
Ryan Taylor: 6 - Didn't see much of the ball but scored when it mattered.
Substitutes
Michael Poke
Ben Chorley
Jack Whatmough
James Dunne (Barcham 76): N/A - Good to see him back early.
Miles Storey
Lee Holmes (Atangana 90): N/A - Time wasting change.
Craig Westcarr (Taylor 78): N/A - Did some running.