Skipper David Norris hit the post in the second half as Town continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth. Both sides came close to netting, Darren O'Dea missing a good first half opportunity for the Blues, in a game which probably deserved to end level.
Town lined-up unchanged from the victory over Bristol City a fortnight ago, utilising the usual 4-3-3 formation, with Darren O’Dea OK to play at left-back despite picking up a knee on international duty with the Republic of Ireland. Boss Roy Keane sprung a surprise with his subs, Connor Wickham, Mark Kennedy and Damien Delaney all taking their places on the bench.
The first chance of a game played in slippery conditions after heavy showers, fell to Portsmouth. Márton Fülöp cleared a through ball but a speculative shot from Hayden Mullins inadvertently played in Liam Lawrence on the left but the Town keeper got back to put it behind with Jaime Peters caught ball watching. From the corner, Dave Kitson headed wide, although appeared to be fouling Tommy Smith.
Grant Leadbitter curled Town’s first serious shot wide from a 20-yard freekick, Luke Hyam having been caught in the face with a boot.
On 11 Gareth McAuley did superbly to get back to challenge Pompey debutant Lawrence when he seemed to be through on goal. Moments later, Ricardo Rocha headed wide from a corner.
Portsmouth almost went ahead on the quarter hour when a loose ball was stabbed through to David Nugent on the edge of the area. The one-time Town loan target was in the clear and onside but hit an early shot which struck the cross-bar and fell safely for the Blues.
There was a lucky escape for Town in the 25th minute when Tommy Smith, who had started the game in an uncharacteristically shaky manner, slipped under pressure from Dave Kitson, who pulled the ball back to the edge of the area, from where Nugent scuffed a poor shot into the ground.
Portsmouth had been well on top for the most part, taking control after the Blues had had the better of the opening few minutes. But as the game moved towards the half hour mark, Town started to come back into it again, Scotland ending a good move by playing a pass into the path of Leadbitter on the left of the area. The midfielder struck a low shot which Portsmouth keeper Jamie Ashdown saved, claiming the loose ball ahead of Tamás Priskin.
The Blues ought to have been front in the 30th minute when Leadbitter’s corner was flicked on at the near post by combination of several Portsmouth defenders and reached O’Dea at the far post. The on-loan Celtic man was unable to keep his shot down and the ball flew over the bar, the defender requiring treatment after colliding with the post in the aftermath.
Town rode their luck from a corner with McAuley clearing a loose ball ahead of a number of Portsmouth players, then at the other end a similar incident saw Norris’s low strike blocked when goalbound.
Luke Hyam shot over on 41 but neither side particularly threatened again in a first half which probably rightly ended even.
Town were on top in the opening minutes but the home side were very much in control during the middle period of the half in which they might have gone in front, before the Blues regained the upper hand and started to play the more controlled football towards the end.
The Blues continued their record of having failed to score in the first half so far this season, although Darren O'Dea will feel he should have ended that run.
The second half started with Pompey captain Aaron Mokoena receiving treatment and then being carried off on a stretcher after pulling up when not involved in the action. Soon after, Carl Dickinson got his name in referee Steve Tanner’s book for a somewhat wild challenge on Priskin.
In the 57th minute sub Michael Brown struck a low shot to Márton Fülöp’s left from 25 yards, the Town keeper saving well to his left and Gareth McAuley clearing the loose ball ahead of Dave Kitson. Two minutes later, Fülöp saved more routinely to his right from Lawrence from even further out.
The already booked Dickinson was lucky not to see red just before the hour for a cynical body-check as David Norris broke, referee Tanner somewhat generously appearing to suggest that it had been an accidental collision.
The half had started scrappily with neither side playing much fluent football but with Pompey looking more of an attacking threat.
Town, who had by now moved Priskin to the more advanced role occupied in the second half against Bristol City with Scotland behind him, began to look more of a threat as the game moved into the final half hour, Scotland and then Peters having shots blocked on the edge of the area.
Pompey were close to going in front in the 65th minute when Joel Ward’s long throw reached Kitson but the former Cambridge United man shot over from eight yards.
Town were within inches of going ahead in the 70th minute. Edwards found Scotland with a clever touch, then Scotland similarly deftly found the on-running Norris the space in which to hit a low shot, which beat Jamie Ashdown but which struck the post. A minute later, Mark Kennedy and Connor Wickham made their returns from injury, taking over from Darren O’Dea and Tamás Priskin.
Within a minute it was Pompey’s turn to come close to scoring, Fülöp superbly tipping Nugent’s 25-yard strike wide. Soon after, Fülöp was in action again, stopping and holding on to a Lawrence shot from just outside the box.
Town increasingly looked the more likely winners as the game moved into the final 15 minutes with Wickham making a dangerous run and then crossing from the right. There was a big scare on the 80-minute mark when Edwards surprised Fülöp with a throw, the keeper kicking poorly but Portsmouth failing to make the most of their opportunity. Moments later, Brown shot over from a long throw on the right.
But the Blues were continuing to push and with seven minutes remaining a Wickham effort from the edge of the six-yard box was blocked and a defender got a toe in quickly to dispossess Norris before he could reach the rebound. Referee Tanner surprisingly awarded a goalkick. With two minutes remaining, Colin Healy replaced Jason Scotland.
Grant Leadbitter forced Ashdown into his best save of the afternoon in the final minute of normal time, the keeper getting down well to his left to save the midfielder’s low 25-yard strike.
The game moved into six minutes of injury time, mainly caused by the treatment to Mokoena early in the half.
McAuley blocked sub John Utaka’s shot from the edge of the area and that was the last serious goalmouth action.
A draw was probably the right result with both sides having chances and having had the better of the match in spells.
Portsmouth looked a better side than their league position suggests, while the Blues defended solidly for the most part, Fulop making one fine save and McAuley again hugely impressive, although having trouble keeping Nugent and Lawrence in check at times.
For Town, O'Dea should have scored his first half opportunity, while Norris was unfortunate to hit the post and Leadbitter forced a fine save from Ashdown.
The result leaves the Blues still unbeaten and in third in the table with two important home games against QPR and Cardiff, both now ahead of them by two points, in the next week.
Town: Fülöp, Peters, O’Dea (Kennedy 71), McAuley, Smith, Hyam Leadbitter, Norris, Edwards, Priskin (Wickham 71), Scotland (Healy 88). Unused: Murphy, Delaney, Brown, Murray. Att: 15,445.