Nwankwo Kanu came off the bench and scored to secure a draw with Cardiff City in a disappointing game of football.
Erik Huseklepp came into the side for the Nigerian in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up from the goalless draw with Bristol City but the Norwegian barely touched the ball as it kicked long and high far too often.
The first half was once again a poor affair with very little quality but both sides did hit the woodwork. Darcy Blake's shot was heading for the top corner until Ashdown tipped it onto the bar whilst Joel Ward's audacious effort from range almost dipped under the crossbar.
Apart from that it was a case of the Pompey defence doing their best to shackle the lively Robert Earnshaw, who was denied by the onrushing Ashdown when the back four failed to track him.
The second half was slightly brighter with Pompey passing the ball nicely in patches only for the moves to break down.
The first chance in the second half came when Halford's fierce free kick looked like it was heading for the corner of the net from the Fratton End only for the ball to swerve and cannon off the post.
The home side could have taken the lead later on when Lawrence's corner forced a goalmouth scramble that goalkeeper David Marshall eventually ended by gathering the ball on the line, despite the Fratton End cheering in a possible attempt to fool the referee into thinking the ball had crossed the line!
The ball was cleared off the line again soon after as Peter Whittingham hooked Benjani's effort away. Pompey fans were beginning to think a goal was coming and they were right.
Cardiff broke away and Andrew Taylor burst forward, recieved a pass from Earnshaw and then slotted past Ashdown into the bottom corner of the net to give Malky Mackay's side the lead.
Having fallen behind, Steve Cotterill's response was to bring Kanu on and just like in 2008, the Nigerian was the bane of the Welsh Capital again as within five minutes of coming on he headed in Ben-Haim's cross.
Kitson might have won it in stoppage time, but Anthony Gerrard twice blocked shots in the box to preserve a point for his side, which was probably the right result on balance of play.
I use the word "play" loosely as this was another game of football ruined by too much "Wimbledon" style football. I felt plenty of sympathy for Huseklepp as he is a player who seems to like the ball to his feet despite his height.
Cotterill says the result is his fault because the players were tired after he "overtrained" them, hence the long ball. I find that excuse laughable as route one has seemed to be his philosophy since the turn of the year.
Still, if this really is the case then that should mean that the lads will be good to go come September 10th when they travel to Upton Park after the international break.
There are now less than three days left to recruit any more permanent signings. Going by this performance, the priority is to sign another creative midfielder - someone who can get the ball down and play. Kanu is the only player we have who is great with the ball at his feet but we can't rely solely on him to open up opposition defences.
Even if there are no new names to come to Pompey, the style of football needs to change dramatically. People are staying away from Fratton Park and the atmosphere is flat because the style of football is dull and uninspiring.
Perhaps it is just me, but I would rather watch an entertaining team that had a go and lost rather than this current Pompey side that keep things tight, rarely keep the ball on the ground and end up grinding out bore draws week in-week out.
Pompey Player Ratings
Jamie Ashdown: 7 - A couple of excellent saves to deny Blake and Earnshaw.
Joel Ward: 5 - Not his best outing, often found out of position in the second half.
Greg Halford: 7 - Dominant in the air once again.
Jason Pearce: 7 - Already looking like a bargain.
Tal Ben-Haim: 7 - Impressive going forward and solid overall.
Liam Lawrence: 6 - Still not at his best but delivery was good at times.
Erik Huseklepp: 5 - Wasn't given any service.
Hayden Mullins: 6 - Worked hard as usual.
David Norris: 6 - Solid if unspectacular.
Luke Varney: 5 - Didn't get into the game.
Dave Kitson: 6 - Made a scapegoat by some but his all-round play was good and might have scored.
Substitutes
Stephen Henderson
Ricardo Rocha
Aaron Mokoena (Mullins 83) N/A - Replaced the injured Mullins.
Kanu (Varney 77): N/A - Did more in a cameo than the rest did in 90 minutes.
Benjani (Huseklepp 61): 6 - Unlucky not to score and put Cardiff's defence under pressure.