Portsmouth almost snatched victory with a moment of brilliance from Robert
Prosinecki - but First Division strugglers Sheffield Wednesday deservedly held
on to clinch a point at Fratton Park.
The Croatian star curled a superb free-kick against the post in the 58th
minute with Kevin Pressman well beaten.
But Wednesday created a number of clear-cut chances during the game and
defender Marlon Broomes was unfortunate to see his first-half effort come back
off the crossbar.
The visitors had made a bright start and former Luton midfielder Paul McLaren
fired a 20-yard effort over crossbar.
Wednesday, buoyed by their 2-1 win at promotion hopefuls Millwall last
weekend, threatened again in the sixth minute when Shefki Kuqi powered a header
just wide from 18 yards.
Portsmouth launched their first attack in the eighth minute, but Lewis Buxton
failed to hit the target after cleverly working some space on the edge of the
area.
The pace of the game slowed after a frenetic opening, but it was Terry
Yorath's side who created the next opening after 17 minutes.
Kuqi found Alan Quinn with a deep cross but the Irish winger's tame volley was
safely gathered by experienced goalkeeper Dave Beasant.
The hosts surged forward 60 seconds later and David Burrows did well to block
a fierce strike from Kevin Harper.
However, Pompey survived a scare in the 23rd minute when Broomes collected a
neat pass from Steve Haslam before blasting a shot against the woodwork.
The south-coast club gained confidence as the first half progressed and
highly-rated striker Peter Crouch forced a stunning save from Pressman in the
30th minute.
New signing Svetoslav Todorov, who moved from West Ham in midweek, lifted the
home fans with a fierce strike which cleared the bar just before the break.
The half-time interval did not seem to affect Wednesday's concentration and
Broomes forced a scrambled clearance from Courtney Pitt in the 47th minute.
Nigel Quashie tested Pressman with a long-range shot soon after, before
Prosinecki almost broke the deadlock with his brilliant attempt.
Dutchman Gerald Sibon also produced a moment of class in the 70th minute.
The tall striker unleashed a blistering strike from 25 yards but Beasant
somehow kept it out with a finger-tip save.
Both sides had further chances to win the game but wayward shooting and
impressive goalkeeping kept the scores level.
Teams:
Portsmouth: Beasant, Vincent, Waterman, Buxton,
Pitt (Prosinecki 55), Quashie, Derry (Barrett 45),
Harper (Curtis 77), Cooper, Crouch, Todorov.
Subs Not Used: Tardif, Vine.
Booked: Curtis.
Sheff Wed: Pressman, Burrows, Maddix, Broomes, Haslam, Kuqi, McLaren, Hamshaw (Crane 90), Quinn, Donnelly (Ekoku 82), Sibon.
Subs Not Used: Siddall, Bonvin, Morrison.
Booked: McLaren, Sibon.
Att: 14,819
Ref: A Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield).
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