If there was any doubt just how important this game was to both sides, the opening exchanges betrayed tension in the form of numerous unforced errors.
City were the first team to settle and they should have taken the lead after 12 minutes. Albert Adomah picked out Stephen Pearson just inside the penalty area and instead of shooting at a gaping target first time, the Scot switched the ball to his favoured left foot and saw his effort blocked by Jason Pearce.
Pompey's players appeared short of confidence and their only worthwhile goal attempt came when Pearce met Greg Halford's long throw with a header that sailed over the cross bar.
Set-piece routines appeared to offer the most likely source of a goal for the home side and Chris Maguire forced David James to make a startling finger-tip save to keep out his blistering drive after City failed to deal adequately with a corner.
City were struggling to win second balls on the edge of their own 18 yard box and they were almost made to pay in the 21st minute, David Norris engineering room for a pot-shot that flew straight into the arms of James.
Unable to retain possession long enough to dictate terms, the Robins increasingly dropped deep, offering Portsmouth all the encouragement they needed to attack in numbers.
Adomah offered City's best hope of breaching a physically imposing Pompey back line and the winger spotted Kalifa Cisse's surging run into the penalty area on the half hour mark, only for keeper Jamie Ashdown to race off his line and avert any danger.
In truth, neither side looked like creating a clear-cut scoring opportunity and both sets of strikers were left to feed on scraps in a scrappy contest littered with fouls and lacking rhythm and fluency.
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