Portsmouth 1-0 Carlisle: Michael Smith keeps Pompey in promotion hunt

Michael Smith's second-half strike kept Portsmouth in the thick of the Sky Bet League Two promotion hunt with a 1-0 win over Carlisle at Fratton Park.

Smith netted the match-winning goal in the 57th minute to leave sixth-placed Portsmouth five points behind the three teams immediately above them, while also still boasting a game in game on all of them.

Keith Curle's Carlisle had lost just one of their previous eight matches, drawing five, and they frustrated Pompey in the first period with both teams limited to shots from distance.

The home side started the second half with more urgency and could have been ahead three times in the first five minutes.

But Carlisle keeper Mark Gillespie bravely collected a Smith cross from the right before twice denying winger Kyle Bennett from close range.

The deadlock was finally broken just before the hour mark. Bennett's curling right-footed shot was parried by Gillespie into the path of Smith and he deftly chipped the ball into the net.

Adam McGurk then had two chances to double the lead. First hitting the post when on-on-one and then being denied by a superb block by Danny Grainger.

Curle's side almost snatched a draw in the last 10 minutes, but Hallam Hope was unable to convert Derek Asamoah's cross.