Such promise — then such disappointment. For 82 minutes, this game was almost everything it needed to be from a Pompey perspective. I say almost, because the obvious thing that was missing was a second goal.

Pompey had chances before and after their goal for others, but didn't take them. And with our last win eight weeks ago and confidence a little fragile, among fans as well as players, a 1-0 lead was always going to be risky.

And everyone's worst fears were confirmed when Burton sprang forward quickly from nowhere to fire the equaliser past Paul Jones, who had had little to do for most of the afternoon.

So the winless run goes on and many will focus on that, and they've every right to. Yet, had this performance and result come in a spell when Pompey's form was more consistent, we'd all be saying how well Andy Awford's team had performed to dominate, for long spells, the team second in the league and how a draw was not the end of the world.

And the end of the world it isn't. It's hugely frustrating when you look back at chances Craig Westcarr, Matt Tubbs and Paul McCallum failed to put away. But it was also a first home point in three Fratton Park outings and it was a display that bore little if any resemblence to the woeful efforts seen against Accrington Stanley and AFC Wimbledon last month.

Of course, the positives will soon be forgotten if Pompey don't build on them and beat Southend next week, and carry on playing solidly on the road, as they have at Cheltenham, Luton and Newport in the past four weeks.

They can beat Southend, and plenty of others in this average division, if they play like they did against Burton. Their problem is, playing well alone won't cut it much longer, or even any longer for some. Wins are needed, however they come.

A play-off charge looks less and less likely as the weeks go by but it is not yet beyond us. I've said from the start of this season that we have a good-enough squad to finish in the top seven — though squeezing into the play-off picture with a prolonged late-season run looks the only way to do it now.

But Matt Tubbs looks an excellent addition to the frontline — he has intelligent hold-up and lay-off play in his locker as well as the goals we hopefully will see soon — and though it's hard to judge McCallum on the 17 minutes he was given — he may well become Tubbs' regular strike partner.

Craig Westcarr looks some way off being the player whose record in League One made him look an excellent signing in the summer, and the one who started his Pompey spell well enough. He is low on confidence and doesn't appear to have the levels of effort and commitment that the Fratton crowd demand from anyone who's less than a world-beater.

Pompey made a nervous start to the game — perhaps not surprising given the pressure on them to win in front of their own fans. But the defence put legs and bodies in the way of any shot at goal Burton attempted, and eventually the Blues began to carve out chances of their own.

Tubbs was almost in after beating the offside trap and Jed Wallace miscued a shot from just inside the box that spun up to be easily claimed by Burton keeper Jon McLaughlin before Wallace was in the right spot to slot home after Tubbs nodded down for Andy Barcham, whose sweetly-hit shot was tipped away by McLaughlin.

Westcarr ought to have doubled the lead when a quick break saw Wallace's low ball in arrive at his feet only for him to fluff it badly, but Pompey ended the first half deserving to be in the lead.

At times in the second half, they appeared unsure whether to go for the jugular or sit back, but for the most part, it looked as comfortable a lead as 1-0 can be.

But there's a fine line between bravely clinging on for victory and allowing a slender lead to disappear. And that line was crossed eight minutes from the end when Darragh Lenihan drove forward after picking up a short pass from a free-kick and was given space to shoot by defenders backing off, striking a clean hit low past Paul Jones to kill an atmopshere that had been happier and noisier than in many recent home games.

After that, Pompey looked more likely to grab the winner, and McCallum was a handful for the Burton defence. One cross from the left from the West Ham youngster was met by Tubbs but he got his angles wrong and headed well over. Then a long ball in by Wallace fell to McCallum but, without time to steady himself, he volleyed high and wide.

Other than the general display, other positives included an all-action display by James Dunne, whose midfield presence has certainly been missed while he has been out and who will be a key man if he can stay fit. The fact Burton's equaliser came after an injury scare had seen him subbed is probably no coincidence.

The Paul Robinson-Joe Devera partnership in the centre of defence has the potential to be the best of the many Awford has tried this season, and one hopes he doesn't change it unless he has to. Either side of them, Adam Webster had an excellent game and Nicky Shorey was solid enough. The goal conceded was their only blot, albeit a big one.

Barcham will hopefully improve with a run of games — if he doesn't, then the return of Ricky Holmes from Northampton should be a priority at the end of his month away. The fact the Cobblers have leapfrogged Pompey and a few other sides in the time Holmes has been there tells you something.

So, more positives than negatives for me, while others will simply see this as two points dropped.

We remain too close for comfort to the bottom two; too far away from the top seven for any of them to worry about us, for now. But against one of the division's strong promotion contenders, this didn't look a Pompey team struggling for ideas, nor one not playing for the manager. Keep the faith, if you can. And be thankful David Connolly didn't score for Wimbledon.

Pompey: Jones, Webster, Robinson, Devera, Shorey, Wallace, Dunne, Atangana, Barcham (Hollands), Tubbs, Westcarr (McCallum). Subs not used: Poke, Chorley, Butler, Taylor.

Ref Oliver Langford

Att: 14,323

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