Alan Ball must be wondering what he has done to deserve all the pain he has suffered in the last few weeks. He lost striker John Aloisi to Coventry this week and then saw his team take an early lead only for Bolton to hit back with force. The trip to Ipswich on Boxing Day doesn't look too good under the current climate. Gregory may have resigned but he still has the power to do further damage.
The only change from the side which lost disappointingly to Grimsby was Michallis Vlachos who replaced Aloisi. However, it appeared that Steve Claridge was going to play up front on his own with Luke Nightingale left on the bench. Bolton included the interestingly named goal keeper, Jussi Jaakelainen, one of their five Scandinavian players.
Pompey made a stunning start when after just 28 seconds they took the lead. Vlachos clipped a pass out to Peron on the left. The Frenchman wriggle free on his marker before putting in a cross which Igoe met with a ninja style volley at the near post to put Pompey in front. The little midfielder was causing more problems minutes later when he was brought sprawling to the ground 25-yards out. McLoughlin touched the free-kick to Thorgersen whose shot whistled past the post.
Petterson was called into action when he was faced one-on-one with Taylor. The Aussie keeper stood up well and deflected the shot behind for a corner. The home side were calling the shots and in the 13th minute they had a great chance to equalise. Gunnlaugsson slipped through the Pompey defence before clipping a shot over the on-rushing Petterson, but fortunately the ball bounced past the post with Thomson covering.
Pompey briefly rallied with Claridge twice getting in shots but the home side still looked the more likely to score. Petterson could only parry Frandson's effort as he felt the power of the well struck shot and the keeper did well to put the ball behind from the follow up shot. From the corner Pompey escaped again when Newsome crashed a header against the top of the bar.
Hillier was unlucky when he headed a corner at the other end just over before it was Thomson's turn to bail his team mates out in the 28th minute. Gunnlaugsson was again allowed free space in the box and his fierce low shot beat Petterson, but Thomson was there on the line to hack it away.
The Bolton onslaught continued, but Gunnlaugsson continued to miss the target from the opportunities presented to him. Pompey's build up play was neat and tidy although that was as far as it went with their limited resources in attack creating very little.
The pattern of play matched the first half with Bolton throwing everything at Pompey whilst they hoped to catch the home side on the break. In the 53rd minute Thomson was close to adding to a horrible record, a third own goal of the season.
Frandson's cross hit the defender's head and with Petterson stranded the ball luckily bounced off the post. The home crowd were now becoming very frustrated with their side's dreadful shooting and the excellent defending of Awford as he popped up everywhere, to intercept or to tackle.
Claridge looked on with anguish when he looked to race on to Peron's through ball, but that was over hit and the chance went. With 25 minutes left Bolton made a change with Sellers going off for the Jamaican Gardner as boos echoed around the stadium.
Eventually Pompey cracked in the 70th minute and sadly their brilliant defending caved in. Thorgersen clumsily gave possession away to Gardner on the left and his cross was met by Taylor who planted a simple header past Petterson.
Simpson quickly replaced McLoughlin as Ball looked to try and hold on for a point. That though was made increasingly difficult in the 78th minute when Bolton took the lead in controversial circumstances. Taylor clearly fouled Thomson on the edge of the area and as players lay on the floor Fradnson picked up the ball to score.
Nightingale came on, but the game was all over when another Bolton substitute Holdsworth received the ball in space before curling a shot beyond Petterson. In the end the scoreline did reflect the game with Bolton getting reward for their constant pressure. Alan Ball though can least be encouraged by the way his team battled away for fully 70 minutes as they protected that slender one goal lead.