Portsmouth made it three wins on the trot as they sank disappointing West Brom at The Hawthorns to move off the bottom of the table for the first time this year.

Alan Ball's men thoroughly deserved the three vital points which further dented Albion's fading hopes of staying in the race for the promotion play offs.

Dave Hillier, Steve Claridge and Alan McLoughlin were the marksmen who secured the all important victory that kept alive Pompey's determined bid to avoid relegation.

Albion have now banked just 10 points from a possible 48 with manager Denis Smith still chasing his first home league success in 11 games in charge.

On the final whistle Albion were booed off the field for the second time in four days with fans chanting - "Smith out" and "what a load of rubbish."

Hillier opened the scoring with a shot in the 12th minute that took a slight defection off Daryl Burgess to fly wide of keeper Alan Miller.

It was 2-0 to Pompey in the 33rd minute with a terrific shot from the on-loan Aldridge that went home via the inside of the far post.

Pompey completed the scoreline with just four minutes left on the clock when the hardworking McLoughlin squeezed home an angled drive from just outside the box.

Teams

West Brom: Miller, Holmes, Potter, Quinn, Murphy, Burgess, Butler, Taylor, Hughes (Coldicott 46), Hamilton (Carr 79), Kilbane.

Subs Not Used: McDermott.

Booked: Murphy.

Portsmouth: Flahavan, Pethick, Robinson, McLoughlin, Whitbread, Awford, Vlachos, Claridge, Aloisi (Svensson 74), Hillier (Allen 70), Thomson.

Subs Not Used: Carter.

Goals: Hillier 12, Claridge 33, McLoughlin 86.

Att: 12,757

Ref: E K Wolstenholme (Blackburn).