Pompey twice fought back at Prenton Park to earn a deserved 2-2 draw against Tranmere yesterday following an impressive second half showing.
A result didn't look on the cards after yet another dismal first half performance. The hosts played a lot of direct football as expected of a Ronnie Moore side but rather than attempt to play the better football, Pompey also attempted the "route one" game which didn't work.
Guy Whittingham and Andy Awford may have set their side out to play an attacking 4-3-3 system but there wasn't a single meaningful attempt on goal from the visitors in the first 45 minutes.
Tranmere increased the pressure as the first half wore on and Simon Eastwood did well on his return to the side, keeping out Adam McGurk's drive and then Jake Cassidy's header with a superb reflex save.
However, the Pompey keeper was beaten on the half hour mark as poor defending from a set-piece saw the ball crossed to Ash Taylor who headed in the opening goal.
The remaining quarter of an hour was spent with both sides huffing and puffing without testing the goalkeepers. It was drab, but at least the Pompey fans had found their voices, even if they were churning out the stereotypical Scouse-bashing songs.
The second half saw a marked improvement in Pompey's performance, as has been the case many times this season and the equaliser came through another set-piece when Gabor Gyepes headed in Brian Howard's free kick.
That equaliser got Pompey's tails up and all of a sudden they looked like a side capable of scoring more than just the solitary goal. If the decision making had been better and the shooting been sharper then Pompey may have been ahead, especially when Jake Jervis was introduced to the game.
However, it looked like the sucker punch had arrived when Pompey's failure to deal with a cross allowed Michael O'Halloran to tap in Tranmere's second goal despite the best attempts from Darel Russell to intervene.
It would have been easy for Pompey heads to drop but instead they surprisingly hit straight back through ex-Rovers loanee Jervis, whose strike from the corner of the box after receiving Johnny Ertl's pass was either an instinctive fluke or a touch of genius.
The group of fans that had been goading the Pompey contingent soon turned their ire towards their former player, who milked the occasion to say the least.
The Pompey players had Eastwood to thank for keeping the scores level late on as he saved Liam Palmer's shot with his legs. Substitute Scott Allan then could have won it for the Blues at the death as he forced his way through two Tranmere defenders but coul only stab his shot inches wide of the post.
So Pompey had to settle for a draw when all three could have been stolen. That feeling was far different from that at half time when I had been personally questioning my own sanity following yet another abject first half performance.
But a draw at the league leaders having fallen behind twice is a good result that can be built on and there were plenty of positives to take from the game.
Simon Eastwood didn't do his chances of staying as Pompey's first choice goalkeeper any harm with a couple of excellent saves. Jake Jervis' impact should also see him push for a start next week at home to Preston.
There are still criticisms of the team and the selection. Brian Howard still doesn't do enough to justify his inclusion in the team, especially when Liam Walker is sat on the bench. It should also be asked why our most talented player didn't start because he certainly made an impact when he eventually came on.
Still, the most important thing is that Portpin are defeated in the court case on Friday. Should they win, then this result, and other triumphs before it, will be meaningless.
Pompey Player Ratings
Simon Eastwood: 7 - A couple of excellent saves.
Mustapha Dumbuya: 6 - Solid but struggled to get forward.
Ricardo Rocha: 6 - Did the basics well.
Gabor Gyepes: 7 - Proved his goal threat.
Jon Harley: 5 - In and out of the game.
Darel Russell: 6 - Won his fair amount of challenges.
Brian Howard: 6 - Still not outstanding.
Johnny Ertl: 5 - Gave away needless free kicks.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing: 6 - Had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Izale McLeod: 5 - No real service all game.
Paul Benson: 6 - Worked hard and kept the ball.
Substitutes
Phil Smith
Adam Webster
Lubomir Michalik
Jack Compton
Lee Williamson (Russell 84): N/A - Had opportunities to push Pompey forward but frustratingly wasted them.
Scott Allan (McLeod 86): N/A - Should have started.
Jake Jervis (Mendez-Laing 66): 7 - Added an extra threat and took his goal well.