Kenny Jackett was left to rue his team's inability to counter Oldham's power as they slipped to a second home defeat of the season.

Two Eoin Doyle goals won it for the lowly Latics and Jackett was honest in his assessment when he spoke to The News afterwards.

The boss said: ‘I felt that, in Davies and Doyle, they had too much power for us early in the game. We weren’t competitive and powerful enough ourselves in midfield.

‘We couldn’t get to grips with Byrne coming in off the line. We couldn’t contend with their power or impose ourselves in midfield - and that’s ultimately cost us.’

Oldham went ahead on 16 minutes when a scramble in the area saw Nathan Thompson block a shot but Eoin Doyle pounce on the loose ball to score.

After Thompson was forced off following a collision with Drew Talbot, Pompey struggled to get back into it - an effort by Jamal Lowe from a tight angle the closest they came to an equaliser.

Sloppy defending at the start of the second half cost Pompey dear as Doyle siezed on hesitancy by Talbot and chipped a neat finish over the advancing Luke McGee.

It took the Blues until the 90th minute to find hope, when Brett Pitman scored his ninth goal of the season, a simple finish from Matt Kennedy's low pass inside the area.

Eight minutes were added on but the Blues could not find an equaliser.

Pompey : McGee; Talbot (Bennett 60), Thompson (Evans 22), Clarke, Donohue; Close (Rose 68), O’Keefe; Lowe, Pitman (c), Kennedy; Hawkins. Subs not used: Bass, Haunstrup, Naismith, Main

Referee: Craig Hicks

Attendance: 17,848 (466 away fans)

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