Report by Ben Davis

Pompey slipped to their 5th away league defeat and are now two points off the relegation zone. The home side were being frustrated as Pompey were in the lead but midfielder Fitzroy Simpson was sent off in the second half and that paved the way back for Stoke. Fenwick gave new signing Adrian Whitbread his debut as Pethick was dropped.
After a minutes silence for the late Matthew Harding the game got off to a rip roaring pace. Pompey attacked first with McLoughlin finding Carter but Sigurdsson cut out the danger.
The highly-rated Icelandic defender then found Kavanagh with a long pass and the striker fired just wide. Whitbread was then called into action producing an excellent tackle to prevent Keen braking through from Kavanagh's lay off.
Stoke were sure they had a penalty in the 12th minute when Perrett seemed to handle the ball but referee Burns waved away the protests allowing the game to continue. McMahon crossed it back in where Flahavan only punched to Wallace and his ball back into the box was met by Keen's diving header at the far post. Amazingly the former Wolves man put it wide with Flahavan stranded.
Simpson then picked up the first booking of the afternoon when he clattered into Kavanagh. Pompey cleared the danger from the free-kick and then created the best chance of the match. McLoughlin sent Carter through and his low shot-come-cross just missed out Turner in the middle. Bradbury got to the ball out on the left but Sigurdsson read the cross and eased the pressure.
McLoughlin, who was beginning to impress in midfield, then got booked for bringing down McMahon. Pompey were starting to look the more composed side and created another good opportunity when Durnin found Turner but the winger's shot lacked the power and accuracy to trouble Muggleton.
Carter's trickery, which was causing the veteran defender Worthington problems, then won a corner from which Pompey took the lead. Simpson curled it in to the far post where Perrett rose very well and Bradbury sent a thumping header from the knock down into the net.
That gave Pompey added confidence but it was Stoke who presented the greater threat towards the end of the half. Stoke striker Sheron, who has scored 11 times this season, put in a cross which cannoned off Awford and Sheron's follow up screamed just past the post.
Pompey had the last shot on goal of the half when Carter and Simpson set up Durnin to get in a shot which deflected wide.
Stoke began the half by invading the Pompey goal and that precious one goal lead didn't look safe. The best chance was when Sheron got past the Pompey defence and smashed a shot off the inside of the post.
At the other end Simpson sent Turner away and he was blocked on the edge of the area but the referee decided to let play go on. Then Simpson clattered into Keen off the ball and again Mr Burns allowed play to continue. A minute had past when the ball went out of play and then Mr Burns called Simpson over and sent him off. Fenwick had to be restrained from attacking Stoke's assistant manager Mike Pejic.
Flahavan then produced the save of the afternoon when he prevented Devlin's shot going in but the young keeper couldn't do anything about Stoke's equalizer in the 58th minute. Keen's low cross deflected off Russell kindly to Mcmahon to brought the ball down and unleashed a shot into the roof of the goal.
Knowing Pompey would have a struggle ahead of them Fenwick brought on Igoe in place of Turner. The game then went back into the nasty way it was in the first half as Durnin risked joining Simpson when he threw a punch at Kavanagh. Not surprisingly Mr Burns saw nothing of it and gave Pompey a free-kick instead. That produced two successive corners, the latter ending with Perrett's header being cleared off the line.
Stoke then missed a good chance when Sheron fired wide after Wallace's shot had been blocked. However, the home side did take the lead in the 71st minute. Sheron's attempted a shot just inside the area which at first seemed to be drifting wide but it cruelly struck Perrett and deceived Flahavan.
Hall then came on for Carter in a bid to try and pull the game back but it was now getting away from Pompey as four minutes later Stoke wrapped up the points. Sheron played a ball through to Mcmahon who clipped a shot past the on rushing Flahavan.
Fenwick then made his third change of the afternoon as Thomson came on for Russell. The game though was gone when it could have been so different had Simpson not been sent off. Pompey just have to accept defeat and try to get a much needed win against Birmingham on Tuesday.