THE MONA Lisa is supposed to be the one with the enigmatic smile but she's got nothing on Trevor Francis.

Birmingham City's manager found the rueful grin as good a substitute after the match as any he usued during it after Alan McLoughlin's cool head earned Pompey a point four minutes from time.

Like an acned teenager, Francis had trouble with spots and although he expressed his unhappiness he dodged making any comments about referee Steve Bennett that might land him in trouble with the FA's Thought Police, preferring instead to paint on the grin that said: "You say it."

But Francis really can't have much to complaint about Portsmouth's first penalty on 34 minutes that put them 1-0 up.

In fact, his anger should have been directed at Gary Rowett, who made it an easy decision for referee Bennett as he needlessly shoved Guy Whittingham who wouldn't have reached Panopoulos's cross with a step ladder. McLoughlin duly obliged from the spot.

But Francis might have had a case for Pompey's second spot-kick. Martin O'Connor's late challenge on substitute Steve Lovell looked nothing more than a solid block. The ball certainly cannoned away off O'Connor's foot as did Lovell off his shoulder.

Referee Bennett obviously thought the latter came first and pointed to the spot.

Before McLoughlin could take it he had to compose himself like a meditating Zen Buddhist priest with the referee showing Darren Purse a second yellow card for dissent as he was eventually stretchered off after lengthy treatment.

Once again, McLoughlin was unerring, his spot-kick technique the only part of Pompey's game that was totally reliable all afternoon.

Much of the first half was spent in wasted effort as Pompey tried to batter their way through the middle of Birmingham's defence.

Without Lee Bradbury's muscle the combo of Guy Whittingham and Steve Claridge got little change from Purse and David Holdsworth and the only time Pompey really threatened was when Matt Robinson and Jason Crowe pushed on and tried to get round the back. It was the abrupt halting of Robinson's surging run which earned Purse his first booking.

For their part, Pompey also looked more compact and competitive, with skipper Adie Whitbread and new signing Tommy Berntser matching Marcelo and Christopher Wreh for physical commitment.

But it was Francis who transformed the game with the half-time introduction of Stan Lazirides and Dele Adebola.

With Lazirides ranging down the left and Jon Mccarthy down the right, Pompey were confronted by problems down both flanks and with O'Connor and Holland winning the battles in the heart of the action, they saw plenty of ball.

As for Adebola, Berntsen wouldn't have seen anything like him in Norwegian football. His sheer size and pace presented a different type of headache.

Lazirides stepped in from the touchline to curl an exquisite right-foot shot around Andy Petterson for the City equaliser and four minutes later his corner exposed Pompey's familiar failing as Michael Johnson bulleted in a header.

Lazirides almost wrapped it up when he smacked a free-kick against the bar and even though Lovell's introduction for a listless Whittingham pepped things up, there seemed no way back for Pompey against a solid Birmingham defensive unit.

But when referee Bennett handed Pompey the lifeline they gratefully grabbed it in the knowledge that there will be times this season when it's thrown to somebody else.

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