DAVID Unsworth did not take long to show why he was given the title of chief penalty taker upon arriving at Fratton Park.

With 15 minutes gone of Pompey's opening day clash against Birming-ham City, Unsworth stepped forward to equalise Robbie Savage's Beckham-esque free-kick with a penalty that Zinedine Zidane would have been proud of.

He can hardly be described as a galactico. But the Bosman signing from Everton was the only new face in the Pompey starting line up after a strangely unsuccessful few months in the transfer market for Harry Redknapp, who has missed out on Alexei Smertin, Ricardo Fuller, Papa Dioup and Michael Carrick, among others.

Redknapp has been downbeat about Pom-pey's Premiership surival prospects throughout pre-season after adding only Lomana Lua Lua, last season's loan star, for £1.7m as well as the injured Aliou Cisse, a free transfer from Bir-mingham, to his squad.

The only other new arrivals were Andy Griffin, a Bosman signing from Newcastle who made a debut as a substitute, and goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown.

But Unsworth, who played at left back against Birmingham, is already proving a hit.

"David always gives everything. He's got a great left foot and is a terrific penalty taker," said Redknapp, who did not waste time in naming the defender as Pompey's spot kick specialist in place of Yakubu.

"I had to after seeing some of Yakubu's penalties last season - I'm not sure how some of them went in!

"David can play left sided centre half or at left back and you always know what you're going to get from him."

Unsworth, who played under Redknapp for a season at West Ham either side of two spells at Everton, sent former Saint Maik Taylor the wrong way with the sort of cleanly struck spot-kick that was his trademark at Goodison Park.

But for Birmingham boss Steve Bruce: "It was never a pen".

A football manager bemoaning a referee? It might have been the opening day of the season but some things never change.

Stan Lazaridis was the man penalised by referee Howard Webb, for a push in the six yard box on Steve Stone, who handled the ball as he fell.

Bruce said: "I thought he got the penalty the wrong way round. For me it was a blatant handball by Stone.

"I don't like to bleat like a typical manager but that's the way I saw it. Would we have got that penalty with the way their crowd was roaring? I doubt it.

"I thought the ref did very well overall but I feel we were harshly treated. If that was a penalty then we should have had won later on for handball by Linvoy Primus. He might as well have picked it up!"

Savage had given Birmingham the lead with a 25-yard free-kick in front of the Fratton End after Damien Johnson had been upended after eight minutes.

But after Unsworth's equaliser, goalkeepers Shaka Hislop and Taylor produced heroics.

Yakubu was denied from eight yards and a double save from Taylor kept out efforts from Unsworth and Lua Lua.

Hislop ensured a point for Pompey with an instinctive injury-time stop to deny sub Clinton Morrison, having used his legs to prevent Mikael Forssell from restoring Birmingham's lead.