Portsmouth 1, Rovers 1

IT IS turning out to be a difficult week for the two Tony's on the South Coast.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair faced up to the flak at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton following the furore over the fuel crisis.

Last night it was Portsmouth boss Tony Pulis's turn to feel the pressure after David Dunn's late strike heaped further misery on his sorry side.

Already 4-0 down from the first leg, struggling Pompey were desperate to salvage some pride in a season which is fast turning into a nightmare for Pulis and his backroom team.

But any hopes of a morale-boosting victory were finally quashed by midfielder Dunn, who coolly dispatched his seventh goal of the season in the dying minutes to crack the home side's resolve.

The England Under 21 international was desperate to put on a show for manager Graeme Souness after being rested for Rovers' previous two games.

And he did his chances of a recall for Saturday's testing trip to West Brom no harm at all with an eye-catching display in the centre of midfield.

"It was always going to be one of those games. With us having a 4-0 lead from the first leg, it was always going to be difficult for both teams," said Dunn.

"We just had to make sure it wasn't a testimonial game and I think we went about it in the right way.

"But I didn't need much motivating. I want to get back in the team so I have to play well.

"It was nice to get a goal -- that's seven for the season now.

"But the most important thing is that the team gets the result."

It's a shame no-one from the Football League was here to witness this clash because if ever there was a perfect advert for why the opening rounds of the Worthington Cup should be played on a one-leg basis only then this was it. With the tie dead and buried after Rovers' 4-0 demolition in the first leg last week, only 2,731 diehards turned up to watch this non-event -- Portsmouth's lowest crowd ever for a domestic fixture!

Those who stayed away didn't miss much because this powder-puff Pompey attack would struggle to knock the skin off a rice-pudding. Asking pit-ponies like Lee Bradbury to provide the firepower to make this contest interesting was never a viable option.

And, even though Ewood chief Graeme Souness could afford the luxury of fielding a string of reserves, Portsmouth looked woefully short of the quality necessary to capitalise.

Little was seen of Rovers as an attacking force with the emphasis firmly on keeping things tight in the opening 20 minutes.

A completely new back four was in mean mood giving little away.

The closest Pompey came to a goal in the first half was a Shaun Derry free kick three minutes before the break which Alan Miller was relieved to see come back off his post.

The only other incident of note in a lacklustre first half was a scintillating turn and shot from livewire striker Lee Mills but Miller was down to his left in a flash to tip the ball around the post.

Miller came to the rescue again with a stunning stop to keep out a Nigel Quashie thunderbolt as the action hotted up after the break.

And Rovers' third-choice keeper was there again to deny Bradbury after a slick interchange between Scott Hiley and Mills.

Thomas Thogersen should have put Pompey ahead on 69 minutes when he broke clear after Bradbury charged down a Jeff Kenna clearance but somehow he dragged his shot wide.

However, the home side finally found the net with 14 minutes left when a lucky ricochet landed at the feet of substitute Luke Nightingale who gleefully thumped it past Miller with aplomb.

That at least appeared to give Pulis some vital breathing space.

But, with just two minutes left, disaster struck as Rovers pulled an equaliser out of the fire with a classic counterattack.

A brilliant last-ditch block from Damien Johnson stopped Thogersen in his tracks as he burst clear and the visitors swept straight up the other end where the ball fell invitingly for Dunn to squeeze home a shot from the edge of the box.

That was tough on Portsmouth and Pulis, who like his namesake, Mr Blair, is left to sweat on whether or not he will get an extended stay in office.