Town’s automatic promotion ambitions suffered a significant blow after they were beaten 2-0 by Portsmouth in the twice-postponed fixture at Fratton Park. Conor Shaughnessy headed the opener on 42, then Colby Bishop added the second two minutes later and the under-par Blues were unable to find a way back into the game in the second half.

Manager Kieran McKenna made five changes from the team which won 2-0 at Norwich City on Saturday with Cedric Kipre, Dan Neil, Kasey McAteer, Marcelino Nunez and Jack Clarke coming into the side.

Kipre was at the centre of defence with Jacob Greaves moving to left-back with Leif Davis absent from the squad following the birth of his first child.

Neil was back in midfield with McAteer on the right, Clarke on the left and Nunez the number 10. Ben Johnson, Jack Taylor, Anis Mehmeti and Jaden Philogene dropped to the bench.

Portsmouth made four changes from the team which won 1-0 at Middlesbrough on Saturday with John Swift, Adrian Segecic, Millenic Alli and Shaughnessy coming into the XI for Madiodio Dia and Keshi Anderson, who were among the subs, while the injured Gustavo Caballero and Conor Chaplin, ineligible against his parent club, were out of the squad. Former Blues midfielder Andre Dozzell started.

Town created the game’s first chances in the seventh minute, the Blues catching Pompey cold by taking a quick free-kick, Darnell Furlong sending away McAteer on the right, from where the Irish international cut back to George Hirst, whose shot deflected behind off Shaughnessy.

The Blues saw most of the ball but chances were few and far between at both ends with neither team threatening again until the 18th minute when Jordan Williams was found in space on the left of the box by Swift, cut inside and hit a shot across the face of goal which striker Bishop came close to getting his head on at the far post.

On 24, after Clarke had won a corner on the left having run onto Kipre’s clever pass, Neil volleyed well wide from the edge of the box, the flag-kick having been headed out.

Two minutes later, Alli burst down the left, Christian Walton palmed his cross just beyond the 18-yard line and Swift hooked an effort wide.

In the 27th minute, Alli got away from Azor Matusiwa before unleashing a dipping 25-yard strike which Walton did well to palm over.

As the half hour approached, Kipre picked out Nunez making a run in behind deep into the box but the Chilean’s first touch let him down and the ball ran out of play.

Clarke rode a number of tackles before moving the ball forward to Hirst in the area in the 32nd minute, the Scotland international working himself space to shoot but his effort catching a defender and bouncing through to home keeper Nicolas Schmid.

Pompey skipper Marlon Pack was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 35th minute for a trip on McAteer five yards outside the area to the right. From Nunez’s free-kick was headed out behind, the home side then defending the corner.

On 39, Segecic was found in space on the right of the area by Terry Devlin but scraped his shot wide of Walton’s left post.

Two minutes later, Devlin was found in space on the right but the Northern Irishman’s poor cross was diverted behind by Greaves.

However, from the corner, Portsmouth went in front. Segecic sent the ball over from the right and Shaughnessy escaped Hirst to head into the net.

Two minutes after going in front, Pompey doubled their lead. Alli laid it back to Dozzell on the left, his deep cross reached Swift beyond the far post. The former West Brom man’s first strike was blocked by Greaves and his second was stopped by Dara O’Shea on the line but it dropped to Colby Bishop, who slammed into the net, his seventh goal against the Blues over the course of his career.

Shell-shocked Town were able to defend another corner prior to referee Farai Hallam ended the half.

The Blues had been in control for spells but had only worked a couple of opportunities but Pompey began to look more dangerous as half-time approached.

And, as in other away games this season, having conceded once the Blues quickly allowed the opposition another goal.

The Town players got back out on the pitch early, Portsmouth keeping them waiting in the pouring rain.

With conditions getting wetter and wetter, O’Shea brought the ball forward beyond halfway in the 53rd minute, threading a ball forward for Hirst, but a defender’s toe intervened.

Within a minute at the other end, Segecic got to the byline on the right and cut back to Bishop, but Kipre got in the way of the former Accrington man’s shot.

Town, who were dominating play without having created a chance, made a triple change in the 58th minute, Furlong, Matusiwa and McAteer making way for Johnson, Mehmeti and Philogene

Johnson went to left-back, Greaves into the middle alongside Kipre and O’Shea to right-back, while Nunez dropped into midfield alongside Neil, allowing Mehmeti to go to number 10.

Two minutes after the Blues’ substitutions, the home side went close to a third goal. Alli lifted a cross to the far post and Segecic headed across the face and wide.

On 63, with Town throwing men forward in numbers, Mehmeti worked some space on the edge of the area but his shot slammed against a defender.

Two minutes later, Hirst was played in on the right of the box and crossed deep to Philogene, whose cross deflected behind.

Nunez shot straight at Schmid from 25 yards, then on 71 the Blues switched Neil and Clarke for Chuba Akpom and Sindre Walle Egeli, Pompey having swapped Swift for Anderson.

Pack shot well over for Portsmouth from just outside the area, before Mehmeti scraped a shot wide for the Blues at the other end.

Town continued to huff and puff, Nunez curling a shot high and wide after the ball had been returned to him after he had taken a corner on the right.

Moments later, the former Norwich man was booked after fouling Anderson after losing possession to the Pompey sub, then Devlin joined him for a challenge on Philogene before the home side replaced Segecic with Jacob Brown.

On 87, O’Shea whipped a cross over from the right, but the ball scuffed off Hirst’s head and flew well wide.

As the game moved into four minutes of injury time, Philogene was yellow-carded after kicking the ball against Devlin, the Pompey man having shoved him into photographers packed tight close to the corner.

Three minutes into injury time, Mehmeti crossed from the left, O’Shea headed goalwards and Regan Paul cleared off the line.

Moments later, Philogene curled a shot from the edge towards the top corner but Schmid saved to his left, the keeper’s biggest test on the night.

And that was the last action of a very disappointing evening for the Blues, who never hit their best form against a determined Portsmouth side.

Town were on top for spells in the first half but without making that count before conceding two quickfire goals just before the break, something of a theme in their away games, similar having happened at Sheffield United and Stoke earlier in the season.

In the second half, the Blues threw numbers forward but never looked like getting anything from the game against a Portsmouth team which stuck to their task resolutely and might even have added to their lead.

Two years ago on the way to promotion, Town followed up a memorable 3-2 victory over Southampton at Portman Road with perhaps their flattest display of the season at Norwich and this appeared to be a similar case of after the Lord Mayor’s show with the performance lacking the same intensity of Saturday’s derby win at Carrow Road with too many players having off-days.

The Blues, who still have a game in hand on everyone else, remain second, two points ahead of Millwall in third, while Southampton beat Blackburn 3-0 at St Mary’s to move into fourth and into contention for automatic promotion for the first time, ahead of Middlesbrough, now down to fifth, on goal difference.

Town host Boro at Portman Road on Sunday, a game which it looks even more important to win following tonight’s disappointment.

Portsmouth: Schmid, Devlin, Poole, Shaughnessy, Williams, Pack (c), Dozzell, Segecic (Brown 85), Swift (Anderson 71), Alli (Bowat 94), Bishop. Unused: Bursik, Dia, Le Roux, Blair, Bianchini, Waddingham.

Town: Walton, Furlong (Johnson 58), O’Shea (c), Kipre, Greaves, Matusiwa (Mehmeti 58), Neil (Akpom 71), McAteer (Philogene 58), Nunez, Clarke (Walle Egeli 71), Hirst. Unused: Palmer, Taylor, Cajuste, Azon. Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey).

Photo: Matchday Images