BEFORE Saturday Pompey had scored in 14 consecutive Premiership games, but this time their front men, and star striker Yakubu in particular, were firing blanks all afternoon.

Ultimately the misses were so costly, and a sharp turn and shot from substitute Matt Jansen 15 minutes from the end brought Rovers their first win of the season, and a happy start for new manager Mark Hughes.

It was a scrappy affair played out on a greasy pitch, and, with two nervous-looking defences on show, there were plenty of chances at both ends. With Stead and Dickov for the home side, and Yakubu and Fuller for Pompey, in wasteful mood, the game looked to be drifting towards a goalless conclusion.

In a largely sterile opening, Pompey threatened just once on 13 minutes and Yakubu should have converted a cross from Unsworth but headed a yard over the bar.

Minutes later, at the other end, in a rare moment of skill, Rovers' England Under-21 international Jon Stead executed a superb turn and shot which flew just a yard wide of Hislop's far post.

Pompey appeared to suffer a blow when the inspirational Eyal Berkovic limped off on the half-hour with a hamstring injury but, switching to 4-4-2 to accommodate substitute Steve Stone, the Blues looked in better shape thereafter.

Crucially both Ricardo Fuller and Yakubu were guilty of glaring misses in each half that should have ensured Pompey at least a share of the points.

Four minutes from the break Fuller weaved his way past Gray and Matteo down the left to go clear on goal. But with only keeper Brad Friedel to beat the Jamaican smacked his shot against the post when it looked easier to score.

Then halfway through the second half came an even worse miss. Yakubu beat Matteo to a through pass from Berger and steamed into the Rovers area to go one-on-one with keeper Friedel before wastefully lashing his left-foot shot wildly over the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken by a rare moment of skill in an uninspiring encounter, when Lucas Neill skilfully skipped his way through the crowded Pompey midfield and found Jansen with an astute through-pass.

The previously out-of-favour striker turned superbly past defender Linvoy Primus and curled a superb shot low past Pompey keeper Shaka Hislop from ten yards.

Blackburn's confidence rose visibly with that unlikely goal and Dickov might have added a second when his curler was tipped away by Hislop. Then the Australian Brett Emerton ran twenty yards unchallenged to the edge of the Pompey area before firing a left-footed shot just wide.

But Pompey were enraged four minutes from time when Fuller again ploughed into the Rovers area and went down under a challenge from keeper Brad Friedel.

It looked like lucky escape for the American goalkeeper when referee Mark Clattenburg turned down the Blues claims for a penalty.

Then the official added insult to injury by proceeding to book Fuller for diving.

It all summed up Pompey's afternoon exactly.