Middlesbrough 1 - Pompey 1
Peter Crouch decided to keep the Comic Relief rope packed safely away.
Good job, by the end of the Middlesbrough trip many Blues supporters would have felt like hanging themselves from it.
Another match, yet more points dropped courtesy of late, late heartbreak.
Never have the deep, dark waters of the nearby River Tees been so welcoming for the away fans to throw themselves into.
Still, look on the bright side, at least Paul Hart's men avoided defeat.
Then again, it was scant consolation having seemingly been destined for all three points until three minutes into stoppage time.
Up until that point, Crouch's first Premier League goal in 10 games appeared to have been enough.
It was a strike greeted with a bizarre pre-arranged A-Team celebration among the England striker and his team-mates.
Involving forming the letter A with their fingers, it wasn't quite what we had expected.
Certainly it wasn't pulling on the rope, a routine demanded by Gavin & Stacey character 'Smithy' – played by comedian James Corden (below) – during Red Nose Day less than 24 hours earlier.
The sketch – involving England players – was one of the highlights of this year's charity event and the subject of much pre-match talk.
As for Corden's assertion the former Liverpool man should not fear the robot, little chance of that.
If anything scares the living daylights out of anyone associated with Pompey at the moment it's the final 10 minutes of matches. Be afraid, very afraid.
On Saturday, in the midst of four minutes added on, James beat out Stewart Downing's header and Marlon King was on hand to steer the ball home from close range.
Yet more late drama in a season which continues to get the blood pressure soaring higher than a Nigel Quashie shot.
That's 12 late goals now conceded this season, a statistic which has ultimately robbed the Blues of comfortable top-10 safety.
To think, instead, Hart's men find themselves separated from the relegation zone courtesy of goal difference.
It appears in many respects the legacy of Tony Adams still remains.
Now's there's a sobering thought. The ghost of manager past continues to haunt, with no sign of it being exorcised just yet.
Unquestionably, there is a great defensive might about the Blues these days, the appointment of Hart and Brian Kidd reaping instant rewards.
But it was a case of same old story on Saturday as the visitors crumbled under late, late pressure to see two priceless, precious points snatched away from their grasp.
It was harsh on a Pompey side who, aside from the opening 20 minutes, effectively controlled the match against a poor Middlesbrough outfit.
Gareth Southgate had called for a wall of noise from his home fans, except it was noise of a very different kind which accompanied the team's progress.
After falling behind to Crouch's 30th-minute sweetly-struck volley, the hosts' support turned shamelessly, heaping tonnes of abuse on their side.
Such were the exorbitant high level of feelings, Boro were booed off at half-time.
Poor Jeremie Aliadiere was booed off when he was substituted.
As for Julio Arca, the sarcastic applause when he made his way off the pitch was curious to say the least.
The hosts were rocking on the ropes, punch drunk and running out of ideas.
Midfielder Matthew Bates was absent for the final 13 minutes having collected a second yellow card and subsequently a red.
But somehow they managed to snatch a point at the death to leave Pompey in the familiar situation of reflecting on just what could have been.
Had Afonso Alves – another favoured boo boy – managed to put away another chance once King had levelled, Boro could have been toasting an undeserved victory.
As it was, the excellent James stood firm, the Brazilian crumbled, hitting his shot straight at the exposed keeper, and further late blushes were spared.
Now that really would have been an injustice.
Of course, it's the recurrence of a points profligacy which has been at the heart of Pompey's struggles this season.
Perhaps more worrying is the fact so many have come against their relegation rivals, Hull, Wigan, Newcastle and Stoke all registering late on to affect scorelines.
Among the many accusations levelled at Adams was his failure to make substitutions at the appropriate times to retain a position of victory.
On Saturday, at least Hart had the tactical nous to introduce Richard Hughes and Noe Pamarot in place of David Nugent and Niko Kranjcar in an attempt to tighten things up.
The only problem was it persuaded his side to sit too deep, failing to capitalise on the extra man by exposing the midfield area, and as a result Boro were invited to attack.
It was something of a faux pas Hart himself acknowledged in his post-match address, the Blues boss caught attempting to preserve a lead rather than taking the game to 10 men.
Pompey can ill-afford to fritter away too many of these points in the final quarter of the campaign as they battle for their Premier League lives.
Nonetheless, it was Middlesbrough who were the more impressive side before the visitors broke the deadlock of 30 minutes.
Then came a piece of Crouch magic to turn the game on its head. Jermaine Pennant's quick corner saw Glen Johnson attack the penalty area and his pass was half-volleyed through a ruck of players by the Blues' top scorer.
Only 10 minutes earlier, David Nugent saw his snap-shot cannon off the left-hand post following good work from Crouch.
It was more of the same in the second period, the visitors comfortably in control as Southgate's men struggled to create amid the backdrop of a hostile crowd.
Then came King's opportunism to snatch what could prove a precious point for Middlesbrough in their battle against the drop.
It just remains to be seen whether the Blues will be ruing that moment come the season's end.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
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