Wednesday’s search for a long-awaited league win goes on after a 1-0 home defeat in a very poor match against relegation-threatened Portsmouth at Hillsborough this afternoon.

There were S6 debuts for keeper Murphy Cooper and sub Jaden Heskey but sadly the end result was the same as in recent times, with Wednesday having just one shot on target while the visitors managed two goalbound efforts, one of those in the second half enough to take all three points.

In what could politely be described as a low-key first half Pompey, the only side we have beaten in the Championship this season, were close to taking an early lead when poor defending allowed Terry Devlin a clear opening but he screwed his effort wide from 12 yards.

We began to have more of the play as the half progressed, Jamal Lowe seeing a header saved by keeper Nicolas Schmid but being flagged offside before Svante Ingelsson missed our best opening of the half on 25 minutes, sending an angled shot wide when he probably should have hit the target.

If we thought the second 45 minutes would be any better then, sadly, we were to be disappointed as two sides clearly lacking in confidence created few threats between them.

Henrik Pedersen made three changes just after the hour, including that debut for Heskey, and our only effort on target came with 64 minutes on the clock, Schmid saving a low shot from Yan Valery … only for Portsmouth to go straight up the other end to score the winner.

The danger signs were there as they broke down their left, Wednesday failed to clear when Pompey crossed low into the box and Adrian Segecic was there to net at the far post.

Devlin should then have doubled the lead when he fired over from close range while we largely huffed and puffed and didn’t come close to an equaliser.

For the record, this latest defeat leaves us on minus seven points and 35 points from safety.

M Cooper, Fusire, Valery, Otegbayo, Palmer (Redmond 76), Alao (Johnson 63), Thornton (Heskey 63), Ingelsson, Bannan, J Lowe (McNeill 63), Cadamarteri. Unused subs: Stretch, Emery, McGhee, Shipston, Moses. Attendance: 21,351.