Tranmere predictably threatened late on, with Zola (Calvin, not Gianfranco), going especially close with a header. But at the end of the evening it was Pompey who came out the winners, despite not playing their best - although Harry probably won't be too bothered with the performance as we got the result we wanted. Bookings for the defensive trio of Unsworth, Griffin and Primus may cause some annoyance to the gaffer, however.
Debutants Cisse and Mezague may be slightly disappointed with their own performances, as neither managed to catch the eye in the manner they may have hoped - a criticism that may also be aimed at O'Neil and Taylor. Ashdown had little work to do, in truth, but coped well enough with what did come his way.
Now it's back to the serious business, as high-flying Everton come to town on Sunday for a game live on Sky. After the disappointment of defeat to Blackburn last weekend, hopefully victory at Prenton Park will go some way to rebuilding team confidence before the visit of David Moyes' Toffees.
Team: Ashdown, Cisse, Griffin, Primus, Taylor, Unsworth, Berger (Stefanovic, 90), Mezague, O'Neil, Fuller (Yakubu, 70), Kamara