Adam Chambers crowned a memorable week for high-flying West Brom with his first goal for the club to help sink Portsmouth at The Hawthorns.

The 20-year-old, who made his full league debut in midweek, was on target in the 69th minute to add to Jason Robert's first-half strike to secure a win which keeps Albion firmly in the promotion race.

Ruel Fox back-heeled the ball into the path of the former England youth international and Chambers made no mistake with a well-placed shot past keeper Aaron Flahavan.

It was Flahavan who was guilty of the blunder which had gifted Albion their first goal on 10 minutes.

Flahavan made a hash of a clearance when he kicked the ball straight to Albion's Richard Sneekes.

The Dutch midfielder played a quick first-time pass to Roberts and the £2million hitman was on target with a sweetly placed shot.

The defeat for Pompey gave Steve Claridge a miserable last afternoon in charge of the club.

Graham Rix, the former Chelsea number two, takes over at Fratton Park on Monday and he has a hard job on his hands to pull the club away from the danger zone.

It was always Albion who held the edge with Sneekes firing a cracking shot just inches wide in the eighth minute and then opening up the Pompey defence for Roberts, who just failed to connect with the ball in front of goal.

After the break, Claridge joined the action when he came off the bench in the 63rd minute and he got in the visitor's best shot of the game with just under 10 minutes to go.

The striker lashed in a hard drive, but keeper Russell Hoult, making his Albion debut against his old team-mates, made a fine save.

Teams:

West Brom: Hoult, Butler, Carbon, Sigurdsson, Adam Chambers, Sneekes, Fox, Appleton, Clement, Taylor, Roberts (Quinn 90).

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Van Blerk, Burgess, Jordao.

Booked: Sigurdsson.

Goals: Roberts 10, Adam Chambers 69.

Portsmouth: Flahavan, Crowe, Waterman (Thogersen 77), Moore, Vincent, Panopoulos, Derry (Miglioranzi 45), Quashie, Sharpe, Mills, Nightingale (Claridge 53).

Subs Not Used: Tardif, Rudonja.

Booked: Crowe.

Att: 17,645

Ref: H Webb (Rotherham).