Report by Ben Davis

Pompey's hopes of a good run in the Coca Cola Cup ended with an embarrassing defeat against third division Peterborough. It was an awful performance by Pompey and in the end their visitors fully deserved their victory and progression into the next round.
Alan McLoughlin and Fitzroy Simpson returned to the side, but Sammy Igoe was left out altogether. Peterborough included their veteran striker Jimmy Quinn who is 38 in a month.
The early moments were scrappy with Pompey unable to keep the ball down as Peterborough closed down quickly. The first shot on goal came in the 9th minute when Aloisi tried his luck from 25-yards which Tyler had to parry before collecting it at the second attempt.
In the 20th minute Pompey should have taken the lead when Svensson timed his run just right to latch onto Hall's through ball and the Swede only had the keeper to beat, but he messed it totally up firing straight at Tyler.
Then captain Whitbread went very close to giving Pompey the lead when he ran forward into the box as a free-kick was about to be taken. Hall slipped Simpson down the left and his cross was met by a glancing header by Whitbread and it flew inches wide. Pompey were certainly the better team at this point and they would have been annoyed at not taking their chances.
Another break down the left saw Hall put in a cross which was cleared to the edge of the area where Svensson headed it to Aloisi and the Aussie's spectacular volley went just over in the building site behind the goal. Four minutes later though Pompey eventually found the breakthrough. Hillier's fine ball got Hall into the area where the Jamaican's run was halted by three Peterborough defenders and the ball fell to Svensson who buried it past Tyler.
The general feeling around the ground was that Pompey were safe and they would go on to get a couple more goals. However, Peterborough stunned them with a goal right on the stroke of half-time. Pompey's defence failed to pick up Carruthers on the edge of the area and Whitbread's tackle only found Payne who's snap shot was saved by Flahavan but it rolled to Farrell at the far post and he made no mistake.
The psychological blow of conceding that goal just before half-time swung the game Peterborough's way and sure enough nine minutes after the restart they took the lead. Farrell charged down the left past Pethick and his beautiful cross was headed down and past Flahavan by Quinn.
Pompey though could have been level minutes later with the woodwork coming to Peterborough's rescue. Aloisi was brought crashing to the ground and a free-kick was awarded 25-yards out. Simpson bent a shot over the ball only to see it come back off the inside of the post with Tyler well beaten.
The defence hasn't looked so good this season and another blunder almost gifted Peterborough the game. Whitbread's attempted back pass near the by-line had no power in it. Quinn moved in but Flahavan made a fine save at the strikers feet to spare his captain any blushes.
Suddenly Pompey lost all their composure and their team completely lost it's shape. The midfield hardly saw any action as Thomson kept kicking long passes towards Thorp, who had just come on for Svensson, but even his extra height couldn't create any decent chances.
With nine minutes remaining Peterborough could and should have finished the game off when some more suspect defending allowed Carruthers to shoot from six yards but he dragged it wide. Carruthers then beat Pompey's offside trap only for Flahavan to rescue his team-mates again by blocking the strikers effort.
That all important equaliser was never on the cards and so it is Peterborough who go through to face Reading in the next round. Fenwick and Venables must review and analyse this performance so there won't be a repeat in future matches.