Redknapp gets first win at Portsmouth

Portsmouth 1 West Brom 0

Substitute Svetoslav Todorov ensured Harry Redknapp enjoyed a winning return to Fratton Park with the only goal of the match against fellow strugglers West Brom.

Todorov, the only forward on the bench, replaced the injured Vincent Pericard after just seven minutes and his non-stop display of grit and determination was ultimately rewarded with a 56th-minute winner.

The Bulgarian made his longest senior appearance since rupturing a knee ligament two days before the start of Pompey’s first Premiership season and made sure Redknapp’s first match at home since coming back from arch-rivals Southampton ended on a happy note.

He proved the difference 11 minutes into the second half when Lomana LuaLua chased a long ball down the right from Linvoy Primus, cut inside Neil Clement and put a perfect ball across for the striker to coolly turn past goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

That was enough to end Pompey’s run of five successive defeats in a row, register their first home victory of the season and make raise Redknapp’s standing among the Fratton Park faithful.

It was easy to see throughout a tepid first half why Portsmouth had not won at home since Redknapp’s visit last April with the Saints.

They had also scored only three goals at Fratton Park this season and even some of the display parachutists who landed in the crowd prior to kick-off looked more accurate.

It could not have helped their plans to when target-man Pericard limped off after just seven minutes.

The big Cameroon striker, brought back early from loan by Redknapp last week to play at Tottenham, was given extra support up front this time by enigmatic Frenchman Laurent Robert.

But the man who replaced him, Todorov, had a nightmare first half in which he looked miles off the pace.

It was not surprising perhaps after nearly two years out with a serious knee injury but he and Robert were given a battering by Albion’s muscular defenders.

LuaLua had the only real physical presence against them but he needed treatment on a back injury after an awkward fall.

It was not until the 35th minute that Robert went close with a dipping free-kick which just failed to drop low enough after Paul Robinson’s foul on LuaLua.

West Brom had been looking increasingly dangerous, however, and after needing Neil Clement and Curtis Davies to hold them together in the first half hour they began to get joy from the individual moves of Nathan Ellington, Kanu and ex-Portsmouth striker Diomansy Kamara.

Goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown had to move fast to punch away an inswinging Kamara corner just before half-time, having kept out Ellington’s low drive a few minutes earlier.

Then Todorov played LuaLua into the area at the other end but Clement’s tackle was spot-on to concede the corner.

Robert’s touch in stoppage time presented Todorov with another chance but he lost his footing as he manoeuvred for a shooting position and fell flat on his face in the area.

Todorov, whose 27 goals earned Pompey promotion to the Premiership in 2002, was clearly getting closer and after LuaLua’s low drive brought a fine save from Kuszczak early in the second half he deftly touched home the Congo winger’s cross.

Kuszczak had to come charging out of his area soon afterwards to prevent LuaLua adding a second and was also pleased to see the Congo striker’s shot blocked before it could reach him.

Albion threw everything at their opponents in the last 20 minutes but Pompey’s defenders Primus, Dejan Stefanovic and Andy O’Brien held firm.

Portsmouth are now within six points of Albion with another home match to come against West Ham, another of Redknapp’s former clubs, on St Stephen's Day.