Blues Reserves just failed to complete a miraculous comeback as goals from David Joyce and Liam Ridgewell were not quite enough to seal a point that the performance more than merited against Pompey this evening.

Terry Westley's side met a visiting goalkeeper in scintillating form as Jamie Ashdown produced save after save on a night of wonderful entertainment for the St. Andrew's crowd.

A brace of goals from Frederic Piqiuonne and another from Paris Cowan-Hall put Pompey in charge but that doesn't tell the full story as the hosts had their own early opportunites in an action-packed encounter.

Joyce and Ridgewell put Blues in with a chance and Westley will still be wondering how his team didn't find the third goal as they were denied time and again by Ashdown.

Westley named a strong side with eight senior professionals on show including first competitive appearances of the season for Marcus Bent and Damien Johnson, who were both returning from injury.

Maik Taylor got his first taste of second string action while Ridgewell, Lee Carsley, James O'Shea, Kevin Phillips and Gary McSheffrey were all involved from the start.

In contrast, Pompey only fielded two players who have featured in their first team this season, on-loan Lyon striker Piqiuonne and another summer recruit, Danny Webber.

Bent partnered Phillips up front for Blues and the latter was straight into the action firing a fierce volley straight at Ashdown after just 20 seconds.

Ashdown was called into action again before the two minute mark after a smart passing move ended with McSheffrey setting up O'Shea with a shooting chance from 12 yards which the visiting keeper saved down to his right.

The positive start from the home side continued as McSheffrey let fly from fully 30 yards with a shot that only just dipped over the crossbar.

After all the early pressure, Blues nearly found themselves a goal down on eight minutes when Frenchman Piquionne broke down the right and his shot from a tight angle bounced back off the far post.

Taylor was up quickly to block Danny Webber's follow-up shot but the hosts didn't heed the warning and found themselves behind just a minute later when Piquionne tried his luck from over 30 yards wide on the right.

The shot fizzed through the air and swerved wickedly to deceive Taylor who got his hands to the effort but couldn't keep it out.

Pompey should have been two up moments later when Webber teed up an unmarked Gael Nlundulu with a glorious opportunity just ten yards out and in the centre of goal but the French teenager somehow construed to shoot wide.

The game continued apace with Ashdown beating out a McSheffrey volley as the action swung to the opposite end.

There was finally a lull in proceedings midway through the half with Eugene Bopp closest to notching the game's second goal with a vicious 25-yard free-kick that was inches away from Taylor's left hand post.

Blues young defender Jacob Rowe produced a magnificent lunging tackle to dispossess Webber as the former Sheffield United man raced into the area.

O'Shea was well off the mark with two long range efforts as the game headed towards the half-hour mark.

Blues missed a golden opportunity to equalise when McSheffrey's dangerous in-swinging cross was deflected into the path of Phillips who was free at the far post but the normally deadly striker volleyed over from only a few yards out.

Westley's side were now looking far brighter and from an O'Shea ball down the flank, Bent was next to fire in a shot but on this occasion he got his angles wrong and didn't trouble Ashdown.

McSheffrey saw his low shot parried away by Ashdown and then from the resultant corner, the winger found Carsley on the far side of the area and the midfielder's thunderous volley might have broken the back of the net had it been on target rather than a few yards wide.

Yet again, after a concerted spell of pressure went unrewarded, Blues conceded and it was Piqiuonne again the man on target and he gave Taylor no chance with a fine finish from inside the area.

Both sides made changes at the break and for Blues it was Bent who made way in what was presumably a pre-planned switch with Academy striker Jake Jervis coming on.

Westley would have been looking for his side to try and reduce the arrears early in the second half but what he got was the exact opposite as Pompey teenager Cowan-Hall scored with a stunning volley from just inside the area three minutes after the restart.

But this perhaps was the wake-up call that Blues needed as they proceeded to score twice in four minutes to leave the game on a knife edge.

McSheffrey's defence-splitting ball on 56 minutes found Joyce and the full-back produced a finish more akin to a striker as he directed the ball beyond the dive of Ashdown into the far corner.

The hosts were right back in the game on 59 minutes when Carsley put a cleared corner back into the box for an unmarked Ridgewell to head home Blues' second goal.

The visitors all looked around for the assistant's flag that didn't come and despite Ashdown getting a hand to the ball, it dropped into the net.

It was now all one-way traffic as Blues pushed hard to get back on level terms with Jacob Rowe heading just over and Jervis firing in a goal-bound shot that was saved.

As to be expected, Blues' efforts to find an equaliser left them exposed at times at the back and Webber and Guy Mahoto both went close with breakaway efforts.

The fingertips of Ashdown prevented Jervis's half-volley from looping under the bar and the visiting keeper was having one of those nights as he pulled off another miraculous double save just moments later.

McSheffrey's excellent cross caused mayhem in the visitors defence but Ashdown somehow kept out close range shots from both Phillips and Carsley.

For the former it was just one of those evenings to forget as he shot wide when clear through with just five minutes remaining.

Ashdown was alert again to turn McSheffrey's free-kick over the bar and then was in the right place to claim Johnson's shot that took a heavy deflection off O'Shea.

The visitors finally saw out the victory but there were plenty of pleasing aspects from a royal blue perspective.

Blues: Maik Taylor, David Joyce, Luke Rowe, Liam Ridgewell, Jacob Rowe, Lee Carsley, James O'Shea, Damien Johnson, Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent (Jake Jervis 46), Gary McSheffrey.
Subs (not used): Ashley Sammons, Jack Butland, Jakub Hronec, Dan Preston.

Portsmouth: Jamie Ashdown, Luke Wilkinson, Lennard Sowah, Eugene Bopp, Mike Williamson, Tom Kilbey (Pete Gregory 46), Paris Cowan-Hall, Guy Mahoto, Frederic Piquionne, Danny Webber, Gael Nlundulu.
Subs (not used): Tommy Smith, Cerno Samba, Mark Smith, Perry Ryan.