Blues boss Paul Jewell was delighted with his side’s third successive victory, Town leaving Fratton Park with a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth. Pompey manager Michael Appleton admitted his team were second best but believed his side had scored a second-half equaliser when Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’s knee diverted Greg Halford’s long throw into the Blues’ net.

Jewell said: “We’ve played well tonight, we’ve created a host of opportunities. They played well at our place and we were fortunate to beat them, I thought they were one of the better teams to come to Ipswich and we nicked the result there. But tonight I thought we fully deserved it.

“I think before we scored we had three good opportunities. In the second half, Lee’s hit the inside of the post, he’s missed a really good opportunity, the keeper’s made a good save from Murph and you start thinking that we should be comfortable here.

“At the end they had four centre-forwards on the pitch, they were knocking it in the box from throw-ins and corners and we had to defend resolutely.

“We maybe had a little bit of fortune with their ‘goal’ but in general play anyone who was at the game will have thought we deserved to win.”

The Liverpudlian confirmed that referee Darren Deadman had adjudged that no one had touched Halford’s long throw: “That’s what the referee said. One or two people are saying it came off someone’s knee. Over the season sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t.

“Not so long ago I was lambasting the linesperson’s decision at Birmingham, but on the balance of play, I thought we fully deserved it. On paper it’s a 1-0 but we could have scored four or five.”

The Blues boss was pleased with the way his team began what he felt could have been a tricky night: “It’s a difficult night to come here with everything that’s going on at this football club. It’s obviously a tough time for everybody connected to it, especially the supporters.

“We knew they would be as one, they’d back their team and we’d have to start quickly. We didn’t want them to get any momentum.

“We started the game very fast and very sharp and the goal was the least we deserved. We hit the bar, the keeper made a couple of saves and we had good opportunities.

“After that, for 10 minutes we let them back in the game, but overall, for an away performance, some of our counter-attacking football was terrific.”

Jewell, who also had praise for central defensive pair Tommy Smith and Damien Delaney, says his side have looked more dangerous going forward in recent weeks: “In the last four or five games we’ve looked a threat. We’ve got in the final third and we’ve got a cross or a shot in and made the keeper make a save.

“We look like we’re going to score a goal. Chops has found a bit of form, Lee Martin’s playing as well as he’s ever done. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is looking the part and I thought Daryl Murphy was terrific tonight. That front four, our attacking players, have all looked dangerous.”

After the game around 2,000 Pompey fans from the Fratton End stayed behind to chant their support of the club and their anger at the various recent owners with the club set to go into administration in the next few days.

Jewell said the Blues players were paying tribute during their warm-down and he planned to do the same: “They’re brilliant. The players are out there applauding them and I’ll probably go out there and applaud them myself.

“Football clubs are about fans and sometimes they get a raw deal and Portsmouth have probably had a raw deal over the last few years. Supporters are the heartbeat of a football club.

“Rangers have gone into administration and it looks like Portsmouth are. It’s a lesson for football - it’s got to keep its house in order.

“Supporters sometimes want people to spend money they haven’t got and in the end it can lead to situations like we’ve got now.”

Pompey boss Michael Appleton says the video clearly shows that Halford’s throw caught Jay Emmanuel-Thomas before hitting the net and his side ought to have had an equaliser: “Basically, Emmanuel-Thomas knees the ball into his own goal. I thought it was a goal right away because the ball’s changed angle as it’s gone into the back of the net.

“The referee thought Halford threw it straight in, it wasn’t for a foul or anything like that. That’s disappointing and the boy knew as well, you could see on his face he knew he’d scored an own goal.

“But, did we do enough really to win the game or get something out of the game, if we really look deep down at ourselves? Probably not. It was a night when it didn’t really happen for us. I don’t know why.”

Photo: Action Images

arablue added 23:04 - Feb 14 Well done boys! 3 on a trot and chopra on song...
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TractorBoy666 added 23:04 - Feb 14 Nice win tonight! What have you got to say to 1-0 clean sheet then jas?
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northstand78 added 23:06 - Feb 14 very well done..clean sheet as well..they did us proud tonight
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Dissboyitfc added 23:11 - Feb 14 nice for once to get the good fortune our performance deserved...coyb
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afrodids added 23:12 - Feb 14 another good result and performance from town, another 3 saturday against Cardiff please, ey i ey i ey i o up the football league we go. Clean sheet too. how many times have we hit the post or bar this season? would be interesting to know.it seems to me every game these days. at least we are getting a bit more luck in other areas tho. COYB
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carsey added 23:13 - Feb 14 jas0999 - anything negative say now? and those of you questioning Edwards as captain - get off his back. He's not a full back we all know that but he has been asked/forced to play the position by Keane and now Jewell and does his best. Just support the team like Portsmouth fans seem able to do. Clegg out.
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stewartwonderland added 23:14 - Feb 14 Great result, and by all accounts, thoroughly deserved. Well done PJ and the team, keep up the good work!
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lTFC added 23:15 - Feb 14 Ha!! 'linesperson' - love it great win keep up the form on saturday COYB
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daniel9624 added 23:15 - Feb 14 Another great day for the Town, well done lads, keep positive, the fans are!!! Well except Jas!
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clarkey85 added 23:23 - Feb 14 Get in there the boys r workin hard and its paying off now to push on an see how high we can get!! Very pleased that chops is scoring we have a gem if he keeps bangin em in!:)
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Garv added 23:23 - Feb 14 Appleton refreshingly honest there, good to see. That front four look really good on paper, and finally we can say they are also good on grass! Counter attacking football? We havn't seen that for years and years. Credit to Smith and Delaney, being a left footed centre back pairing, and the fact their last full game was Southampton where we were ripped apart let's be honest because of some awful defending on their part. Cardiff will be difficult, but we have a good record against them, Scotland, Emmanuel Thomas and Chopra scoring in a 3-0 would be the most ideal of ideal scorelines I think!

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bluelady added 23:29 - Feb 14 Guys Jas already posted under the match report, do read its unbelievable. Evidently turn around all due to ME speaking to the players and nothing to do with PJ!!! The guy needs help :-) well done one and all, I feared for our CB today but they proved me wrong, finally I am enjoying being a town fan again and not dreading every single game ........
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JesusStockwell added 23:31 - Feb 14 Well done lads!! Sounds like we played really well tonight with some exciting counter-attacking football. It's really nice to finally have a nice settled team so with our limited options at centre half lets hope that injuries are kind to us in the coming weeks/months. Another three points on Saturday against the bluebird taffs would be lovely so up the town and COME ON YOU BLUE BOYS!!!! P.s Anyone else agree that Clegg really does have one of those faces that you want to SLAP??

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Tractorboy24 added 23:32 - Feb 14 Happy with ANOTHER win but even more over the moon with yet another decent performance. Personally, if we're playing football like this, I can't see a reason not to get behind the team, you can argue the stats from over the last year all you want, we're scoring goals and once the defence is sorted, we'll be right up there!
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broomfield123 added 23:33 - Feb 14 Let's put the carrot in front of chopras nose. He fires us into the play offs and we write of his loan. Well done boys. And now let's get this club back up and running again
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davidsc1971 added 23:47 - Feb 14 Back from the match - a good solid performance from the SuperBlues, composed at the back and lively up front. Deserved the win and should have won by a more comfortable margin. COYB!!
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Tractamatt added 23:59 - Feb 14 cardiff will be a real challenge but no more so than West ham should have been i'll be pleased with a draw on saturday,Chopra could easily finish with 20 goals this season and we keep going like we are we wil hopefully be carrying some momentum for next season. COYB
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GTRKing added 00:04 - Feb 15 A great win & a clean sheet. Attack & Midfield= Promotion Contenders Defence= Relegation Contenders on paper but defence is proving me wrong & working hard. So another win on sat & need to sort this -11 out & I think 15th-8th/-1 & Prepare for next year. Come on you blues
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Tillz9 added 00:20 - Feb 15 Excellent result and performance. Frot 4 doing the business and defence solid with Hyam and drury the perfect link between the 2. What more could we ask for from last 3 games than a drubbing of top of the league west Spam, last min winner and an away clean sheet.
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sonian_blue added 00:59 - Feb 15 Just back from witnessing an excellent performance...well done lads. Oh and 65 quid better of. Hope you all took my advice today and backed the boys. Sheepshaggers u are next!!
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Duncan added 01:03 - Feb 15 Fantastic result! Didn't think we'd keep a cleen sheet in a million years!! Just shows you loan players just don't have their heart in it look at Doncaster now n norwich few years ago! Could not be happier for Hyam home grown fantastic player can't wait to get back to north stand to sing my heart out for the lads!!! We all feel like singing the blues......!! Ok norwich don't lose but at least we win at the moment!!!

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itfchorry added 02:24 - Feb 15 We really are a new team - Great Ipswich support that the Pompey fans admired. Proud and Blue Clegg Out
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garethch added 03:11 - Feb 15 Great result lads and a clean sheet for a Delaney-Smith central defensive partnership, wow! Well done Chopra, keep them coming! Sounds like we got a bit of luck too but who cares...
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come_on_blues added 04:28 - Feb 15 Well done lads, good win
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irishtim added 07:22 - Feb 15 Congrats & thank you to all involved. Lets keep it going.
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