Charlton kept up their hopes of automatic promotion with a slender, but
deserved victory over relegation-haunted Portsmouth.
It was Charlton's seventh successive victory - equalling a club record - and
their fifth clean sheet on the trot.
In a tension-filled match Charlton had to wait for the 57th minute for Steve
Jones, playing his last match before suspension, to clinch victory, heading home
a cross from Neil Heaney, who is on loan from another club in trouble,
Manchester City.
Charlton had plenty of possession in the first half but Pompey keeper Aaron
Flahavan did not have a serious save to make.
The London club went close several times but in the main the Portsmouth
defence kept high-scoring Charlton at bay.
Portsmouth's biggest let-off came in the 19th minute when Steve Jones, eight
yards out, failed to make contact with a perfect Danny Mills cross.
Flahavan was brought into a rare piece of action in the 31st minute but he
dealt comfortably with a wasted free-kick by Mark Kinsella.
Neil Heaney went close before the break but Pompey, with John Aloisi a lively
leader, and Alan McLoughlin an inspiration in midfield, posed their own problems
for the Charlton defence.
Aloisi was clean through in the 41st minute and it took a fine tackle from
Mills to stop his run.
Then a Robbie Pethick cross flashed dangerously across the Charlton
goalmouth.
Two minutes after the break it took another last-ditch tackle from Richard
Rufus to stop Aloisi.
Charlton went close to breaking the stalemate in the 54th minute when Steve
Jones met a Heaney cross to head against the bar.
Three minutes later, Heaney changed wings and sent over another excellent deep
cross which Steve Jones again met at the far post to head past Flahavan from six
yards.
For a time Charlton peppered the Pompey goal which survived dangerous low
crosses from Shaun Newton and Mills.
Then in the 66th minute, a Newton shot hit the side-netting when it looked
easier to score following good work by Steve Jones.
Charlton thought they had made certain of the three points in the 86th minute
when Steve Jones bundled the ball home after Flahavan had fumbled a Heaney shot
but he was judged to have handled.
Then with two minutes remaining Portsmouth missed a great chance to level
matters when Paul Hall, burst through but fired well wide of the post from 12
yards.
Teams:
Charlton: Ilic, Mills, Bowen, K. Jones, Rufus, Youds, Newton,
Kinsella, S. Jones (Brown 89), Mendonca, Heaney.
Subs Not Used: Barness, Emblen.
Booked: Newton.
Goals: S. Jones 57.
Portsmouth: Flahavan, Pethick, Robinson, McLoughlin, Whitbread,
Awford, Vlachos, Igoe (Svensson 78), Aloisi (Hall 67), Durnin,
Thomson.
Subs Not Used: Waterman.
Booked: Durnin, Thomson, Hall.
Att: 14,082
Ref: J A Kirkby (Sheffield).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook