Town were again made to rue failing to make the most of their first half possession and chances as Portsmouth left Portman Road with a 2-0 win. The Blues could have been well in front having dominated before the break but it was Pompey who claimed the points via second half goals from one-time Town loan target David Nugent and David Cotterill.

Skipper David Norris returned after missing the last three games with an ankle injury in place of Colin Healy, who was sidelined with the torn stomach muscle he suffered at QPR on Tuesday.

Visitors Pompey, who included former Blue Hermann Hreidarsson at left-back, were unchanged with midfielder Liam Lawrence still out, although veteran striker Nwankwo Kanu was back from Nigeria and was on the bench.

The Blues started the stronger with Connor Wickham and Lee Martin making runs down either flank. The former Manchester United man struck the game’s first shot in the third minute but scuffed well wide from distance.

Jason Scotland had a shot blocked, Damien Delaney looped a header wide, then in the eighth minute Grant Leadbitter went even closer, his goalbound 15-yard shot from Martin’s right-wing cross hammering against a defender then rebounding off the Blues midfielder just wide of Pompey keeper Jamie Ashdown’s goal.

In the 11th minute, the Blues went even closer, Bullard sent in a corner from the right, McAuley powered a header goalwards but the ball struck Scotland as he followed it in with Ashdown probably having got across far enough to stop it anyway.

The Blues continued to push, Leadbitter volleyed over from a Martin cross after Hreidarsson had made an error, then Martin whipped another dangerous ball in from the right, but too high for Wickham coming in at the far post.

Town again came close to an opening goal in the 17th minute when a freekick on the right was played short to Carlos Edwards whose cross reached Wickham at the far post. The 17-year-old striker looked certain to score but Ashdown was quickly off his line to block superbly. From the corner, McAuley headed straight at the Portsmouth keeper.

In the 19th minute Portsmouth defender Ricardo Rocha got his name in referee Scott Mathieson’s book for a foul on David Norris 10 yards inside the Pompey half. From the freekick, Scotland flicked Bullard’s ball into the box just wide.

Portsmouth began to get more into the game as a heavy shower fell towards the half hour mark, McAuley doing well to cut out a David Cotterill ball in from the right.

But the Blues were soon threatening Ashdown’s goal again, although Edwards’s 30-yard strike flew well wide and Wickham was unable to make sufficient contact with Martin’s 34th minute cross.

Portsmouth were close to going in front in the 38th minute when the ball ricocheted into Dave Kitson’s path and sent him away on goal after David Nugent — given stick throughout by the Town support — had been challenged by McAuley and Leadbitter. Fortunately for the Blues Delaney got back to make a superb challenge, the Irishman subsequently requiring treatment.

Town should have go in front again in the 43rd minute when Edwards sent in a low cross from the right and Scotland stabbed wide, the Trinidadian subsequently belting the ball into the South Stand in frustration, knowing he should have scored.

Within a minute, Connor Wickham had come similarly close. Norris was found in space on the right of the Pompey area and found the England U21 international with a deft cross to the far post. Wickham seemed certain to nod home, but like Scotland somehow sent the ball the wrong side of the post.

Town had again put in a hugely impressive 45 minutes but as in their last two matches had been unable to make their superiority tell in terms of goals.

The Blues could easily have been five or six in front with plenty of players likely to have left the field at the break feeling that they should have been on the scoresheet, not least Scotland and Wickham, while McAuley will feel unfortunate not to have netted early on with his header.

Performance-wise, aside from a spell in the middle of the half, the Blues had dominated with Pompey’s only dangerous moment Kitson’s break behind the backline when he was superbly tackled by Delaney.

Within 25 seconds of the restart the Blues had missed another great opportunity to go in front. Edwards crossed from the right and an unmarked Wickham headed straight at Ashdown. A foot or so either side and it would have been a goal.

On 52 Edwards fed Scotland but his angled shot was again too close to Ashdown, then two minutes later, after Wickham had made a strong run into the box, a loose ball fell to the Trinidadian, who this time hit the stanchion with his low shot.

As perhaps was inevitable with the Blues having missed so many chances, Portsmouth went ahead in the 55th minute. A freekick from the right reached Nugent on the left from where he cut in and hit a low shot past Fülöp, continuing his record having scored in every game he has played at Portman Road for Preston, Pompey and the England U21s.

As previously when scoring against Town for the Lilywhites, Nugent, who had now scored eight times in eight games against the Blues, somewhat over-celebrated his goal, gesturing to all corners of Portman Road, but referee Mathieson somewhat surprisingly chose not to book him.

The rain was falling more and more heavily with the pitch becoming increasingly slippery. The goal had had a major effect on the game with the visitors having more of the ball and Town no longer dominating or dictating the play.

On 73 Town boss Paul Jewell switched Jason Scotland and David Norris for Luciano Civelli and Andy Drury, Connor Wickham taking the central striking role.

Four minutes later, the Blues were two behind. Fülöp kicked injudiciously to Drury under pressure from Mullins inside the Town half. The former West Ham man dispossessed him and found Nugent on the left, the striker playing a low pass across to an untracked David Cotterill, the winger, signed by Paul Jewell when boss at Wigan, beating the onrushing keeper as he ran into the penalty area.

Priskin replaced Martin for the final six minutes, moments before Leadbitter’s low shot deflected through to Ashdown.

But Town were looking like a beaten side with Portsmouth having been the team on top since going in front.

A clever Civelli flick sent Priskin in on goal in with four minutes remaining but the Hungarian took too long over his shot and Ritchie De Laet got back to dispossess him. Priskin and the Sir Bobby Robson Stand called for a penalty but referee Mathieson probably got the decision right.

As the game entered injury time Nugent was subbed to boos, then seconds before the final whistle Edwards lashed just wide from the edge of the box.

The story of the game was essentially the same as the other night at QPR, only more so. Town had much the better of the first half but failed to turn their superiority into goals, despite on this occasion having enough opportunities to have won the game several times over.

After continuing to dominate for the early part of the second period, Nugent’s goal changed the game with the Blues never the same force again. After Cotterill’s second, there was no way back.

Despite a second successive defeat, the first half display again showed more promise, until it came to taking chance. On today’s evidence Paul Jewell will step up his search for that elusive 25-goal-a-season striker.

Town: Fülöp, Edwards, Kennedy, Delaney, McAuley, Leadbitter, Bullard, Norris (Drury 73), Martin (Priskin 84), Wickham, Scotland (Civelli 73). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Peters, Smith, O’Dea.

Portsmouth: Ashdown; De Laet, Halford, Rocha, Hreidarsson, Hogg, Mullins (Kanu 90), Cotterill, Ward (Mokoena 66), Nugent (Dickinson 90), Kitson. Unused: Flahavan, Ciftci, Kilbey. Referee Scott Mathieson (Cheshire). Att: 23,345 (Portsmouth: 931).

Photo: Action Images

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