Crouch hands Pompey FA Cup

FA Cup holders Portsmouth edged into the fourth round of the competition with a 2-0 victory over Championship side Bristol nervous. England striker Peter Crouch gave the Premier League side the lead with a controversial first half strike, after appearing to handle in its own box to the accumulation goal.

City tested and pressed and lost a few good opportunities to level the match but could not find a murderer in turn hit the shock back in their favor. And with seconds ticking away, Niko Kranjcar rounded Portsmouth with the applicable procedures finalizing a brief pause Nadir Belhadj.

City could have dragged themselves back into the match at the death, but Nicky Maynard missed a late penalty after Sol Campbell had upended the striker in the box. Pompey have been stripped of their two best players possibly in the transfer window in January, with Jermain Defoe and Lassana Diarra, who are fleeing like rats Tony Adams side of a sinking ship.

The South Coast is without a victory in the Premier League since November and confidence among the rest of rows have been affected. Any hope that the FA Cup could provide some much needed respite from their current slide was confused when the two sides drew 0-0 at Fratton Park, and the first skirmishes suggested Pompey against him again in Ashton Gate.

Both sides held friendly with each other as often as possible, and the game was the first characteristics of the classic cup tie, full of fire and brimstone, but little quality. Armand Traore Pompey was undoubtedly the best player in the first half, going from left to right flank, causing problems for both.

After only six minutes, the loan midfielder burst forward before firing a powerful drive that forced an excellent save from City keeper Adriano Basso. City, however, sensed Portsmouth ripe for a cup shock and started to put pressure on their opponents again, matching them in all areas of the pitch.

Ivan Sproule started to run on lap four when Pompey won the opportunity, and visitors panicked and seemed safe. The end jinked his way into the Pompey box with some of the great deception on 24 minutes but shot high over the bar from a tight angle with only David James to beat, but their chances of staying in the next host.

Finally a great deal to Sol Campbell denied Maynard, who was creative moments after creating the best city of half chances. The striker clipped a lovely ball into the box and Marvin Elliott went on to head goalwards only to see David James leaves an excellent reaction save to deny the City initiative.

But football can be a friend and cruel, while the opportunities came and went from the city of Portsmouth expressed their intention, when David Nugent struck a post in 36 minutes before taking the lead two minutes later clinically by Crouch.

The manor of the target may be the subject of some controversy, apparently with the same goal scorer in his own cash management before starting the move that ended with him to get home.

A brief break for the visitors ended with Armand Traore burst into the box on the right before pulling it back for Crouch to stab moving in rhythm in the city past keeper Basso. The whole city in the sense of injustice was cleverly disguised behind and began the second half with pleasure.

Sproule is still causing the visitors all sorts of problems on the right with his pace and direct running, but too often there is no final product to back up his undoubted ability.

Crouch fluffed a glorious chance to double the lead eight minutes after the restart, shooting wide when clean through, and Portsmouth, while only goal advantage isolation, there is always a chance it could be fixed again.

Maynard was nearly dragged the hosts back into the tie midway through the second half with a stinging shot that James did well to save, while the new Pompey keeper came to his rescue, racing off his line to smother a long ball Maynard forward again with the hidden intention. But the game was put to bed at 88 minutes when Kranjcar put the finishing touches to break sharp and incisive.

Belhadj move dashed 50 yards through the right side of the city as a defense backed off. To reduce the full table, before unselfishly squaring for Kranjcar sidefoot past Basso. The drama was not over yet, as the City of fluffed the chance of dragging themselves back into the match in time and create a nail-biting finish.

Maynard was up indefinitely Campbell in the box after some comically poor defending distinguish Sylvain, and the referee immediately pointed to the place. But James dived to his right to remain outside the penalty Maynard Portsmouth and secure a fourth round tie against Swansea at Fratton Park.(source: setanta)