Kenny Jackett saluted Pompey for notching up their third away win in just over a month and keeping a clean sheet for the first time since December.

Brett Pitman was the goal hero as Jackett's men put recent struggles for results behind them in winning 2-0 at Oldham.

The game was in doubt in the second half because of snow and Jackett, whose team leapt from 12th to eighth with the result, was pleased it reached its conclusion, and a happy one for Pompey.

He told the club website: 'They were tough conditions for everyone to play in, but the players adapted to it well. It was our first clean sheet since the middle of December. It was hard-earned and thoroughly deserved. That’s the base for playing good football and also for confidence.

'Brett scored two fantastic goals in the first half and we could have added to that in the second because Jamal hit the post and Kal was also unlucky. He didn’t look favourite for the first one and it was a great header. Then we had tried to put pressure on their goalkeeper and that paid dividends.'

Jackett had remained calm during the second-half hold-up that could have seen the game abandoned. He told the website: 'The referee was okay with the playing surface, but the visibility of the lines was something he was questioning.

'We all waited and everyone was arguing for 5-10 minutes, although the sun then came out and we were able to continue. Obviously Oldham wanted the game off, while we wanted to keep playing because of the scoreline at the time.

'I’m sure the referee saw the balance of the two arguments and he just wanted somebody to come on and clear the lines. There was perhaps a reluctance from the groundsman to do that because it might have damaged his pitch.

'Surprisingly, all the shovels seemed to suddenly disappear! But we got through that and thankfully the weather cleared up a bit.'

With a side showing two changes from the one that had started in the loss to Gillingham, Pompey went close a couple of times before Pitman expertly glanced a header from 15 yards out beyond the keeper following a pinpoint cross by Connor Ronan.

That came just before the half-hour and 13 minutes later the Blues' top scorer then got his 16th of the campaign, intercepting a weak passed clearance by keeper Johny Placide and controlling the ball before sidefooting into an empty net.

After the stoppage for snow to be cleared from the pitch markings, Oldham had one or two chances to pull one back - but the best opportunity of the latter stages fell to Jamal Lowe, who controlled a pass close to goal and fired a low shot against the base of the post.

Pompey will aim to build on this victory - their first at Oldham since the 1980s - when they host Oxford next Sunday.

Pompey: McGee; Walkes, Whatmough, Clarke, Haunstrup; Close; Lowe, Donohue, Ronan, Naismith; Pitman. Subs not used: Bass, Burgess, Deslandes, Widdrington, May, Kennedy, Chaplin.

Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge

Attendance: 4,306 (767 Pompey fans)

Follow @Pompey_Fans

Click here to sign up for an account and reserve your username! You can then post on the Forum and add your comments to articles

Photo: Action Images

Portsmouth Polls