Pompey returned to winning ways yesterday after labouring to a 3-1 victory over ten man Barnet at Fratton Park.
Paul Cook sprung a surprise by bringing in Adam McGurk to replace Jayden Stockley but that was vindicated as was the decision to start Conor Chaplin as both players got on the scoresheet.
It was a bruising encounter as Barnet looked to mimic Accrington's physical tactics from last weekend which led to a scrappy opening to the first half that lacked any real chances on goal.
Martin Allen wasn't endearing himself to anyone as expected as his constant moaning almost saw him sent to the stands by the officials but referee Darren England was the subject of abuse from all sections of the crowd for some bafflingly poor decisions.
The home fans had even more reason to complain as the visitors took the lead thanks to some extremely generous Pompey defending. Mauro Vilhete was given all the time in the world to run down the right and he cut the ball back to the unmarked Andy Yiadom who had the easy task of tapping the ball home.
Having taken the lead Barnet began to employ some time-wasting tactics but England was having none of it as he booked Bees keeper Jamie Stephens for taking too long over a goal kick having already ran down the clock during other breaks in play.
Pompey's first big chance of the match came when Christian Burgess' header from Kyle Bennett's free kick was cleared off the line and the follow-up was blasted into the Fratton End by Chaplin.
The latter made amends soon after, however, as Barnet failed to clear Gary Roberts' free kick and Chaplin was on hand to produce a quality finish to level the scores right before half-time.
It had been a frustrating but even half of football and so Paul Cook earned his money by changing things around. Roberts (who had been injured in the first half) was replaced by Adam Webster as Pompey began the second half by playing a 3-5-2 formation.
That move paid off as the home side's passing was better as a great chance was carved for Bennett after he was sent through on goal by McGurk. Unfortunately the much-maligned winger blasted the ball way off target and into the Milton End. That didn't stop him suspiciously picking up the sponsors' man-of-the-match award, though!
Bennett was involved again for completely different reasons soon after as Pompey took the lead. The midfielder was clearly standing offside when Webster played his through-ball but the referee deemed he wasn't intefering with play which allowed McGurk to receive the pass and cooly slot the ball past Stephens to give Pompey the lead despite Barnet's protests.
That goal changed the dynamic of the game slightly as both teams had spells of possession with the visitors still well in the game.
That all changed, however, when Stephens was given his marching orders after rushing out of his box and clattering Bennett when he was baring down on goal. The second yellow card was brandished and Martin Allen's men were reduced to ten.
More yellow cards were shown as Enda Stevens, Gareth Evans and Chaplin were all harshly booked. Pompey decided to make their numerical advantage count by keeping the ball rather than go for the killer third goal as substitute goalkeeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle dealt with the tame efforts that came his way, although he did tip Chaplin's header over the bar.
Matt Tubbs also missed the target and Pompey were very nearly punished in stoppage time as Barnet tossed the ball in the box and Curtis Weston's finish thankfully ended up in the Fratton End and not in the back of the net as Pompey fans breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The result was then put beyond any doubt as Brian Murphy's long punt was flicked on for Chaplin who fired the ball home to confirm a hard fought victory for Portsmouth.
It was hardly a vintage performance, especially in the first half as Pompey initially struggled to deal with the physical side of Barnet's game and couldn't get their own passing game going.
The travelling fans will also feel hard done by thanks to the referee who decided to allow the second goal and then send their goalkeeper off when some claim he took the ball. To Pompey fans, that's simply a sign that things are finally going our way if those complaints are justified.
Paul Cook also proved that he does have a plan B as his decision to switch formation at the break paid dividends. Pompey may have played themselves into trouble occasionally but Barnet weren't all that threatening overall in the second half and that was a testament to how the team adapted to the new formation and how they managed the game when the opposition were a man down.
The result sees Portsmouth jump into third place in the table and are now the only unbeaten team in League Two following Wycombe's defeat to Plymouth and Oxford's defeat at Northampton yesterday.
That's obviously something to be proud of but there still seems to be more to come from this team and they now face two difficult tests on the road at Oxford and Bristol Rovers.
If those games can be won then everyone will believe that this Portsmouth side will win promotion come the end of the season.
Pompey Player Ratings
Brian Murphy: 7 - Distribution was excellent.
Ben Davies: 8 - Another quality display both defensively and going forward.
Christian Burgess: 7 - Dependable display.
Matt Clarke: 7 - Dealt with Akinde and co. without too much trouble.
Enda Stevens: 6 - Got caught out a couple of times.
Michael Doyle: 6 - Passing wasn't as good as previous games.
Nigel Atangana: 7 - Improved as the match went on.
Gary Roberts: 6 - Struggled to make an impact thanks to early injury.
Conor Chaplin: 8 - Natural finisher.
Kyle Bennett: 5 - A threat going forward but incredibily wasteful.
Adam McGurk: 7 - Clever player.
Substitutes
Paul Jones
Adam Webster (Roberts 46): 7 - Continues to impress.
Danny Hollands
Gareth Evans (Clarke 68): 6 - Solid if unspectacular.
Ben Tollitt
Kal Naismith
Matt Tubbs (McGurk 80): N/A - Wasted the one good chance he had.