Portsmouth took another huge step to safety after a well deserved win over Hartlepool on the club's 116th birthday.
There was a moving tribute before the match for young Jack Robinson who sadly lost his battle with a brain tumour at the age of just four but he would have been proud of how his team performed yesterday.
Andy Awford sprung a couple of surprises in his starting line-up as he secretly recalled Adam Webster from Aldershot and also named a surprisingly fit-again Simon Ferry in centre midfield, with Daniel Alfei and Johnny Ertl making way.
The atmosphere from the first whistle was electric and Pompey's start matched that as they won a free kick in the first minute. Holmes's delivery into the box was headed across goal to Webster who tapped the ball in to send the crowd into even bigger raptures.
Chants of "Andy Awford's blue and white army" rang around Fratton Park as Pompey surged forward again. Wes Fogden was brought down in the box by Christian Burgess and Andy D'Urso awarded a penalty.
Ryan Taylor stepped up but hs spot kick was poor and was saved by Andy Rafferty with the loose ball blasted over the bar by Holmes to deny the hosts a dream start.
That didn't kill the atmosphere and the Pompey players continued to pen Hartlepool back and win the vast majority of 50/50 balls in a show of effort that was light years away from the performances under Richie Barker.
The closest the visitors came to threatening was when ex-Pompey man Jack Compton was played through after Bondz N'gala was turned and his shot was excellently blocked by Webster, although the winger was offside anyway.
Hartlepool improved after the break with the defence having to make a couple of blocks, but Pompey did enough to contain them whilst continuing to go forward and threaten, with Jed Wallace coming closest with a shot after a mazy run.
The majority of the half was played in midfield but that didn't seem to matter as the crowd were impressed with how well Pompey pressed their opponents and were only a quality delivery away from a second goal.
The only nervy moments came in a lengthy stoppage time (due to a Hartlepool player rolling back onto the pitch for treatment when he was originally injured off it) when a couple of needless corners were conceded but thankfully they came to nothing.
The final whistle blew and Awford's fist pump celebration said it all. The fans left Fratton Park delighted with a performance that epitomised the spirit of Portsmouth Football club and as long as the same level of commitment and energy is continued for the rest of the season then relegation shouldn't be a worry.
It's difficult to nominate a "man of the match" for yesterday. Webster scored and did an outstanding job at right back so Alfei will find it difficult to get back into the side when he recovers.
Fogden ran the game, especially in the first half and looked more comfortable playing a more central role. Jack Whatmough won everything in the air and passed the ball out of defence like an accomplished centre back rather than a 17-year-old.
Wallace had another good game whilst Danny Hollands's contribution cannot be underestimated either. There are many candidates for the award but the bottom line is that this was a fantastic team performance which the fans enjoyed.
Roll on Dagenham!
Pompey Player Ratings
Trevor Carson: 6 - Well protected by his defence.
Adam Webster: 8 - Scored on return and blocked nearly everything.
Jack Whatmough: 8 - Calm and assured defending but also aggresive when needed to be.
Bondz N'Gala: 7 - Got turned too easily once but covered well.
Nicky Shorey: 7 - Solid and passing was excellent at times.
Simon Ferry: 7 - Added some extra bite to the midfield. Much welcomed return.
Danny Hollands: 7 - Kept things ticking and did his fair share of grafting.
Wes Fogden: 8 - Limitless energy and won nearly everything, especially in the first half.
Jed Wallace: 7 - Drove the team forward.
Ricky Holmes: 6 - Wasteful at tmes but still did his bit.
Ryan Taylor: 6 - Poor penalty but gave Hartlepool defence plenty of problems.
Substitutes
Phil Smith
Joe Devera
Sonny Bradley
Rhys McCabe (Ferry 69): 6 - Slotted in fine.
Johnny Ertl (Fogden 86): N/A - Shored things up.
Jake Jervis
Michael Drennan (Holmes 90): N/A - Time-eating change.