It is four years since Portsmouth were last in the FA Cup fourth round.

When they last reached the last 32 with a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in January 1999, Milan Mandaric had yet to be installed as chairman, and he has since had to endure several third-round exits.

A 4-1 home defeat against Leyton Orient in 2002 was the nadir of four successive third-round defeats but now Pompey have a diversion from the inevitable Premiership dogfight.

Whether or not it is a welcome one is a moot point but they are in today's fourth round draw - just.

Poor Blackpool returned to the north-west with their heads down after Yakubu, who has only scored two Premiership goals all seaon, notched his third of the campaign against Nationwide opposition in the final minute.

It was the least that Pompey deserved after dominating the second half, only to see Teddy Sheringham, Dejan Stefanovic and Deon Burton miss a succession of chances.

Burton was starting his first game for a year and went close three times during a purple patch at the beginning of the half before striking the bar from close range just after the hour mark.

But, for all the Pompey pressure, the defeat was cruel on a Blackpool side which had forced Harry Redknapp to use his half time team talk to show that he is a rare breed - a Premiership manager who cares about FA Cup.

"He was angry," admitted Sebastian Schmmel, criticised by Redknapp last month for asking to spend part of the week in France helping his wife tend his sick mother-in-law.

Schemmel, who played as a right wing back in a 5-2-1-2 formation, added: "He's a very good manager and everyone respects him but even when you play well he's not always happy because he loves his football so much.

"Everyone fought for him in the second half. A draw would probably have been a fair result but we showed how strong we are by scoring at the end."

Schemmel's first goal for Portsmouth, a clinical far-post header following a left-flank cross from Matt Taylor and good work from Sheringham, was cancelled out by Scott Taylor's 22nd goal of the season two minutes before the break.

Taylor tucked the ball under the body of Wapenaar from six yards thanks to an inch-perfect ball from Martin Bullock, who is no Stan Matthews but was too much for Matt Taylor at times.

Blackpool had been by far the better side and Scott Taylor gave a warning of what was to come in the fourth minute when Wapenaar dived at his feet following some Bullock trickery. The Dutch 'keeper also had to be at his most agile to deny Gareth Evans - who was sent off in the final minute - at his near post on the half-hour.

Pompey's failure to convert several chances highlighted Redknapp's need for a striker, a quest that has seen him linked with 21-year-old Landon Donovan of the San Jose Earthquakes, a club once owned by Mandaric.

Meanwhile, Blackpool boss Steve McMahon, whose son Stephen spent the afternoon on the bench, would only enthuse about a striker of his own.

The two-times FA Cup winner said: "Scott Taylor provided star quality for us. He gave them problems all day with his pace and showed that he can play at a higher level.

"I couldn't have asked any more of my players. We showed two sides to our game. In the first half our footballing qualities shone through and in the second we battled but I'm gutted because a place in the next round was was there for the taking.

"Portsmouth got the little bit of luck they needed but, if we had kept the ball better, we would have had a chance.

"But I would rather they had scored at the beginning of the second half than at the end. That would have put us out of our misery but instead the players are devastated and so am I because I would have fancied us to have beaten them at our place."