Portsmouth 0 Derby 1: Neil Allen's verdict: No Colby Bishop and still no goals as blank Blues struggle

John Mousinho took the big Colby Bishop decision, yet still Pompey drew a blank as their scoring weakness plunged them to another Fratton Park defeat.

Sammy Szmodics’ strike handed Derby an eighth-minute lead and rarely did the visitors look like surrendering it as they strengthened their promotion push.

Granted, the Blues responded positively to falling behind so early, dominating possession, demonstrating energy and fight, and by far out-scoring the Rams in terms of attempts on goal.

Yet, crucially, that cutting edge once again eluded them, irrespective of whether it was Bishop or Jacob Brown selected to lead the line.

Critically, Mousinho’s men so often fell short in the final third, unable to breach a Derby defence brilliantly marshalled by League Two title winning Matt Clarke.

They huffed, they puffed, all five substitutions were used, including the introduction of Bishop, yet, other than a superb second-half stop from Milli Alli and a couple of attempts straight at him, Richard O’Donnell was comfortable.

Even during six minutes of time added-on, with Derby retreating deeper and deeper, still no realistic opportunity to level was created.

A fourth successive defeat at Fratton Park, a dismal period which produced just one Blues goal, and Mousinho’s side continue to totter precariously above the Championship relegation zone.

Bishop’s exclusion represented one of two changes against the Rams from the side which lost 2-1 against Swansea in the Blues’ most recent fixture.

Madiodio Dia joined the striker on the bench, with fit-again Regan Poole coming into the centre of defence, while Conor Chaplin was handed a recall in the number 10 role.

There was also a tactical change, with both wingers switching sides, leaving Milli Alli on the right and Gustavo Caballero on the left.

Elsewhere, Makenzie Kirk returned to Pompey’s bench having recovered from an Achilles problem, while Conor Shaughnessy was also named after sitting out the Swans defeat.

However, there was no place for Hayden Matthews and Harvey Blair, who both dropped out of the 20-man squad altogether having been included in the Swans defeat.

It was Pompey who kicked off the game, yet found themselves behind after just eight minutes following a Derby corner from the right.

Derry Murkin’s delivery was headed out by Brown, only to be picked up by Szmodics on the edge of the area, who was allowed to take a touch before firing off a right-footed shot.

It flew through a ruck of players and crashed into the net, giving Nicolas Schmid absolutely no chance, as the visitors seized a 1-0 lead.

The Blues had their first meaningful attack on 15 minutes when Chaplin spun on the edge of the box and pushed the ball out to Caballero, whose right-footed shot deflected wide for a corner.

At the other end, Patrick Agyemang’s burst down the middle was followed by Poole, yet, when he slipped the ball inside to Ben Brereton Diaz, Schmid raced out to parry at his near post.

The Blues were attempting to play on the front foot, although it wasn’t until the half-hour mark before Richard O’Donnell was tested, when Swanson’s shot from just inside the box flew straight into his arms.

With half-time approaching, Brown fired off a first-time right-footed shot from 25-yards which stung the hands of O’Donnell, yet the keeper managed to gather before Caballero could pounce.

Derby immediately countered through Agyemang and his angled shot from the left clipped the hands of Schmid and struck the inside of the far post, before bouncing clear.

It was a frantic finale to the first half and, when Connor Ogilvie threaded the ball through to Caballero down the left flank, the Paraguayan cut inside the box and fired a shot which O’Donnell beat out at his near post.

There were no substitutions at the break, although Alli immediately sprang to life with a couple of crosses from the right which caused problems, following a quiet opening 45 minutes.

The Blues had a huge let-off on 58 minutes when Joe Ward’s free-kick crashed against the bar with Schmid rooted to the spot, before bouncing clear of danger.

Mousinho made a double substitution on 63 minutes, with John Swift and Shaughnessy replacing Chaplin and Swanson.

In the reshuffle, Ogilvie moved to left-back, Shaughnessy to centre-half, while Swift came into the number 10 position as the Blues pushed for the leveller.

O’Donnell was forced into a superb save on 70 minutes when Alli fired in a right-footed shot on the edge of the box, which the keeper superbly tipped around the post.

Pompey made another double change on 77 minutes, with Alli and Adams replaced by Bishop and Adrian Segecic.

Mousinho’s last throw of the dice was Kirk on for Brown with seven minutes remaining with still there was no breakthrough as the Blues slumped to a fourth straight Fratton Park defeat.