Late-start Portsmouth rally to win

Portsmouth 1 Gillingham 0

Portsmouth finally came alive in the second half to confirm their Premiership status against Championship relegation strugglers Gillingham in the FA Cup.

Aiyegbeni Yakubu’s close-range strike at the second attempt four minutes after the break was the difference between the two sides after Portsmouth needed a blast from manager Velimir Zajec and coach Joe Jordan.

Gillingham’s former Bolton goalkeeper Steve Banks was in impressive form to restrict the hosts to just the one strike, Yakubu’s 11th of the campaign.

Pompey could not find the finishing touch and became careless on a couple of occasions at the back when Darius Henderson and Andy Hessenthaler might have scored for Gills.

Banks saved the visitors after only two minutes, racing off his line to block Yakubu with his legs after the striker was put through by an inch-perfect pass from Patrik Berger.

And the keeper was called into emergency action again soon afterwards, confronting Yakubu once more on the edge of the area for an aerial ball and laying out the Nigerian as well as his own defender Barry Ashby, who was eventually led off clutching his shoulder after a three-way pile up.

Former manager Hessenthaler also lunged into Gary O’Neil from behind and then picked him up like a sack of potatoes when the free kick was given.

Banks had another save to make on 14 minutes from David Unsworth but then Darius Henderson was first to threaten for Gills three minutes later, forcing Jamie Ashdown to turn his 25-yarder over the crossbar after Arjan de Zeeuw only half cleared.

Pompey were desperately close to going ahead in the 21st minute when Berger, after linking cleverly with Yakubu, fired a low drive from 15 yards against a post.

But two minutes later only Ashdown’s brave advance stopped Hessenthaler after the midfielder was put through by a fine pass from newcomer Matt Bodkin.

The keeper was there comfortably first but veteran Hessenthaler still crashed into him late and attracted the wrath of the Pompey fans if not referee Chris Foy.

Yakubu missed twice more before the break while record signing Diomansy Kamara, jeered for regularly giving the ball away, scuffed an inviting chance set up by Andy Griffin.

At the start of the second half however, Kamara had a shot inadvertently blocked by a team-mate before forcing Banks to turn his shot against the bar.

And Yakubu finally struck at the second attempt from a Berger cross in the 50th minute.

There should have been more for the sparse home crowd to cheer. Banks got in the way of two more Berger blasts and Yakubu just failed to tap in a close range opportunity after a left-wing run.