Report by Ben Davis

Mathias Svensson and John Aloisi were paired together again up front and they did the business to lift Pompey who had gone through quite a week. Pompey though are still bottom but with three more home games this month there is the chance to get away from the danger zone. Whether Terry Venables will be there to see it is another matter which hopefully will be sorted out quickly.
Fenwick had the pleasure of picking a team from a full squad. Svensson returned to the first team in place of John Durnin who dropped to the subs bench. Craig Foster returned in place of Martin Allen and Paul Hall replaced Fitzroy Simpson who couldn't get a place on the bench.
Pompey didn't start off to well with Stoke going very close to scoring after three minutes. Pickering got away down the right and put in a delightful low cross which everyone missed to the relief of the fans in the Fratton End, which was open in the end. The first injury of the match came when one of the linesmen pulled a calf muscle and had to be replaced.
Stoke threatened again when Foster's clearance bounced off Whitbread into Thorne's path and he dragged a shot wide, but the flag was up to save his blushes. Svensson had Pompey's first shot on goal when McLoughlin headed a corner down to him but the effort flew past the post. Pompey were now getting more into the game and from a Foster cross Thomson ventured forward to power a header just wide of Muggleton's goal.
After 16 minutes Alan Knight was alert when Pompey's defence left Stoke's Icelandic defender Sigurdsson totally unmarked six-yards out from a corner. Knight dived out to prevent the Stoke man from scoring. Hall then latched onto a mistake by Tiatto on the edge of Stoke's area and fired a shot just past the post.
Two minutes later Pompey took the lead with much of the credit going to the creator Hall. He chased a ball to the by-line with two Stoke defenders, they lost out and Hall's cross was brilliantly volleyed in by Aloisi 15-yards out. Yet like against Birmingham the lead might have not lasted long for Thorne should have done better when he found himself in space in Pompey's area. Thomson managed to block the striker's effort.
Stoke threatened again with Knight having to turn Pickering's shot away and Kavanagh drove a 25-yard effort wide. Then Stoke's defenders were left behind when Hall created a second goal for Pompey after 43 minutes. He picked up the ball on the half-way line and stormed forward 70-yards leaving two defenders for dead and once in the area he laid it back for Svensson to side foot in.
The cross bar though preserved Pompey's two goal lead. The ball ricoheted to the edge of the area where McKenzie smashed a shot over Knight's head and off the under side of the bar.
The new striking partnership of Hall, Aloisi and Svensson was working well with Hall causing no end of problems for Stoke's defence. From a Foster free-kick Svensson forced Muggleton into a save from his header and the Swede should have done better when he wildly fired Hall's cross wide after the Jamaican had broke away down the left.
The Jamaican was at it again soon after when he picked up Aloisi's pass and flicked it over Tweed. Hall fell down but quickly got up to get in a shot which Muggleton saved. The first yellow cards then came with Awford the first when he fouled Pickering from behind and Svensson went into the book for backing into Tweed.
Hillier had a good chance when he and Aloisi linked up well but the midfielder poked a shot wide in a rush when he had more time to size up a shot on target. Pompey were finding it an easy ride with Stoke clearly lacking in confidence although Whitbread came to the rescue when Knight dropped a corner which the defender got to before any Stoke players could move in.
Stoke brought on Gerry McMahon and he added more bite to their attacking play and was very close to pulling a goal back when he raced clear to round Knight and to fire a shot against a post. Kavanagh sensed his chance to make sure it was a goal but Whitbread made another vital tackle.
Recent matches between the two sides have seen Stoke claim two quick goals to grab a point and they sensed that they could do it again with 15 minutes left. Whitbread once again made a brilliant tackle to deny McMahon as Stoke pilled forward. The substitute had another opportunity when he broke through only to see Knight block his shot.
Pompey though had done enough as Stoke ran out of gas and the win gave the slender crowd something to smile about after a rather treacherous week. The players will want to continue like this against Wolves who are finding their form.