Pompey started their bid to avoid almost certain relegation after going into administration on Friday, meaning a nine-point deduction which has yet to be imposed, by winning 2-1 at Turf Moor. Frederic Piquionne opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Martin Paterson brought the home side level when he hooked the ball over David James to level the scores six minutes later. Stephen Fletcher missed a header from six yards from a Paterson cross before the visitors wrapped up the win but they did it the hard way. Jamie O'Hara had missed a penalty before Hassan Yebda made it 2-1 to the visitors from the spot. O'Hara's effort was saved by Brian Jensen after Clarke Carlisle fouled Piquionne but Yebda made no mistake to make it 2-1 after Carlisle was again penalised for fouling John Utaka. Portsmouth had defender Ricardo Rocha sent off for a second booking - his second since joining the club in the January transfer window - in the 90th minute but held on for an invaluable victory. It was Rocha's second dismissal in only three games for Portsmouth after his sending off against Sunderland on his last appearance. James McFadden netted the winner in first-half injury time as Birmingham won 1-0 at home to Wigan to reach the 40-point mark. Birmingham had gone close when Scott Dann's header hit the bar and then Chris Kirkland saved at point-blank range from McFadden but the Wigan keeper could do nothing when the same player converted from the spot after former Birmingham player Mario Melchiot was harshly penalised for a challenge on Keith Fahey. Joe Hart did well to block a close-range shot from Hugo Rodallega in the second half before the game was held up for several minutes due to an injury to a linesman. He had to be carried off after being caught by a challenge by Liam Ridgewell on Wigan's James McCarthy. He was replaced by the fourth official after a long delay which led to seven minutes of stoppage time. Zat Knight's close-range finish close to half-time earned Bolton all three points and a 1-0 against fellow strugglers Wolves at the Reebok Stadium to lift the Trotters out of the bottom three. It was the defender's first goal of the season and a welcome one at that in first-half stoppage time and moved the Trotters above Wolves in the table although neither side is out of the woods yet. The visitors were left despondent especially as David Jones and Steve Foley both saw efforts come back off the woodwork.
