A battling Portsmouth side recorded their first league win of the season despite having to survive the second half against Cambridge United with ten men after Adam Webster was sent off.
There were plenty of chances for both sides in the first half with the visitors guilty of missing the best of them early on as Tom Elliott put the ball wide from yards out after Liam Hughes' cross beat the Pompey defence.
Jed Wallace forced a save from goalkeeper Chris Dunn soon after by attempting an ambitious lob which had to be tipped over the bar. Jack Whatmough should have given Pompey the lead soon after but he headed Wallace's corner wide at the far post.
Cambridge forced Paul Jones into a couple of good saves and also took a couple of potshots that went wide. Miles Storey took a potshot of his own soon after and his effort cracked the crossbar after he cut inside and tried to score from over 30 yards.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 34th minute after Ryan Taylor deftly flicked Storey's cross beyond Dunn and into the back of the net to open his account for the season.
But Pompey were forced to play the rest of the match with ten men after Webster was sent off for a stupid challenge on Harrison Dunk having received his second yellow card with two minutes of the first half to play. Andy Awford immediately responded by substituting the unfortunate Nigel Atangana for Joe Devera.
The second half saw Cambridge have more of the ball as expected but it was fantastic to hear Fratton Park erupt into a loud, constant "Blue Army" chant with the Blues penned in their own half and getting no decisions from referee Darren Sheldrake.
However, Pompey did manage to counter-attack on occasion with Whatmough shooting at goal before another attack resulted in one of the funniest own goals ever scoredat Fratton Park, and there have been a few!
Cambridge failed to clear their lines from a corner which resulted in Storey's shot being saved by Dunn but in a hurry to clear the loose ball, Hughes' clearance ricoheted off the foot of Tom Bonner and into the back of the net.
Lee Chapman's video of the own goal can be seen on YouTube by clicking here and it's one that Pompey fans will never tire of watching!
Unfortunately the increased lead only lasted a few minutes as Kwesi Appiah headed in a corner to get the nerves jangling for the last 20 minutes of the match.
Richard Money threw on his tall players in a bid to win the aerial battle in the box but some excellent goalkeeping from Jones to claim many of those route one balls and those that weren't claimed were either dealt with by the defenders or were wasted by Cambridge.
Pompey managed to see out the five minutes of stoppage time to win the match and claim an important early victory in the league season. It was vital for Awford's men to win the game to get that first win at home out of the way early on and to not crumble under pressure when Cambridge scored despite being down to ten men.
That was mainly due to the efforts of Paul Jones who pulled out a couple of brilliant saves and also showed his dominance in the air much like David James used to do back in the day. He may have made a poor decision early in the game but other than that his performance was virtually flawless.
It was interesting to see that Ben Chorley was dropped altogether despite not being injured. Awford wouldn't give the reasons why but Robinson came in and did a good job alongside Whatmough.
Miles Storey also looks like a class above League Two and it's bewildering to think that Swindon would let him go based on his performances so far this season.
Ryan Bird came on late in the match rather than Craig Westcarr which was slightly baffling as he offered nothing up front when Pompey really needed it. Awford must be keeping Westcarr back for Tuesday's match against Northampton but he might be thinking about bringing in another striker as Bird is out of his depth.
The same could probably be said for Webster, too. His positional sense isn't good enough and he's too rash. He might improve with age but he hasn't shown enough to suggest he'll be a good full back at league level. Many fans saw his second booking coming a while before it actually happened yesterday because of his lack of judgement.
However, they are minor gripes about yesterday's performance which showed that Pompey can win matches whilst under pressure and not collapse which is something that happened all too often last season.
This kind of character is what wins promotions and that character will be put to the test again on Tuesday night when Northampton roll into town.
Pompey Player Ratings
Paul Jones: 8 - Commanding performance and never buckled under pressure. A couple of great saves, too.
Adam Webster: 4 - First booking may have been harsh but second was silly. His performance wasn't good before the red card, anyway.
Paul Robinson: 7 - Solid showing.
Jack Whatmough: 6 - Not as calm as he could have been and played some wayward clearances.
Nicky Shorey: 8 - Understated at left back. Experience was vital.
James Dunne: 8 - Just the sort of player needed when backs are to the wall. Fantastic battling qualities.
Danny Hollands: 7 - Got stuck in but obviously couldn't influence much going forward.
Nigel Atangana: 6 - Had to be sacrificed but played well until then.
Jed Wallace: 6 - Gave everything despite his poor passing.
Miles Storey: 7 - Very influential when he was on the ball.
Ryan Taylor: 7 - Excellent first half but understandably didn't see much of it in the second before being subbed off.
Substitutes
Alex Bass
Dan Butler
Joe Devera (Atangana 42): 6 - Slotted in well.
Nick Awford
Ricky Holmes (Taylor 63): 6 - Provided an outlet but was too selfish.
Craig Westcarr
Ryan Bird (Storey 84): N/A - Offered nothing.