Ryan Taylor's second half header was enough to beat AFC Wimbledon as Pompey held on for a vital 1-0 win at Fratton Park.
Like many of Portsmouth's matches this season, this one was far from a classic with the first half particularly boring as neither side were able to keep the ball long enough to pressure the opposition.
Wimbledon's best chance of the half came early on as Charlie Wyke evaded the Pompey defenders and ran into the box only to shoot narrowly wide of the far post.
Pompey's only shot on target came via Ricky Holmes whose long range effort was beaten away by goalkeeper Ross Worner. Some people may have blamed the fierce winds for the lack of chances created but in honesty both sides were poor and were dragged into a midfield battle for most of the half.
Richie Barker's men started the second half brighter and got their reward early on when Taylor rose highest to meet Daniel Alfei's cross and head the ball into the far corner of the net.
The tall ginger man sustained a cut above his eyebrow after scoring that goal and had to be bandaged up, only to come off minutes later due to a groin injury.
Again, much like previous matches, Pompey seemed happy to settle for their lead and invited Wimbledon to pile the pressure on whilst not having a single meaningful attack for the rest of the match.
Trevor Carson pulled off a magnificent close range save to deny Alan Bennett an equaliser with a header from a free kick and Marcos Painter also cleared Will Antwi's header from another set-piece off the line.
Neal Ardley made a triple substitution as his side went in search on an equaliser with Kevin Saint-Luce in particular causing problems on the wing for the Pompey defence as the pressure mounted on them.
The last ten minutes of the game were extremely tense as the Dons continued to attack with the Pompey defence repelling them. It has been a long time since the home fans have cheered clearances so loudly late in a game.
There was almost late heartbreak yet again in stoppage time but thankfully someone, somehow, managed to hack Sammy Moore's effort off the line after an almighty goalmouth scramble and Pompey survived to win the game and pick up a very important three points.
Pompey fans left Fratton Park relieved and happy following that result but I wonder what their reaction would have been had that stoppage time scramble resulted in an equaliser. I'm no Nostradamus but some fans were apoplectic after the Exeter result and conceding another goal at the death may have seen some frustrations boil over with fans throwing a tirade of abuse at our players rather than applauding them off.
Still, it seems like Lady Luck smiled upon Portsmouth today. It would be interesting to see a replay of the incident in the first minute when the officials gave a free kick just outside the box when to me (and others) it looked like the foul was clearly inside.
Results are determined by such small margins and they went our way today despite this Pompey performance being very similar to those of recent weeks which have had fans complaining on a regular basis.
Whilst the style of football is not good to watch it should be enough to keep this club in the division as long as the defence can continue to concentrate for the entire match and keep clean sheets, as thankfully there seems to be enough up front to score one of the few chances our team can create.
It would be excellent if this result could spark a little run of form before March when the fixtures start getting even tougher. However, despite this win, the performance wasn't all that great in stone cold honesty and Scunthorpe next Saturday are sure to be tougher opposition than Wimbledon were today.
But that is a worry for next weekend. For now, it would be wrong not to celebrate this victory given how rare they've been in recent times and with Portsmouth now seven points clear of the drop, the future looks a little brighter for now.
Pompey Player Ratings
Trevor Carson: 7 - A match-winning save in the second half.
Daniel Alfei: 8 - Provided the assist for Taylor and blocked many attacks.
Sonny Bradley: 7- More resolute than last week.
Ben Chorley: 7 - Another solid showing, especially in the air.
Marcos Painter: 7 - Made a couple of crucial interceptions and cleared the ball off the line.
Jed Wallace: 6 - Worked hard but quality wasn't there.
Nicky Shorey: 6 - Average showing.
Thery Racon: 6 - Won tackles but passing was poor.
Ricky Holmes: 6 - Showed plenty of desire.
Jake Jervis: 6 - Full of running.
Ryan Taylor: 7 - Scored vital goal and helped scrap in the middle.
Substitutes
Phil Smith
Bondz N'Gala
Romain Padovani
Wes Fogden (Holmes 74): N/A - Ran around a bit.
Andy Barcham (Wallace 86): N/A - No real opportunity to break away.
Ashley Harris
Patrick Agyemang (Taylor 59): 5 - Still lacking a meaningful contribution to matches.