Kids' stuff as McBride arrives in good time

He might not have needed the after-match practice had Coleman chose to play him alongside Andy Cole from the start but the Fulham manager was concerned about how McBride might be affected by the two matches he played, at altitute, for the USA last week.

Nevertheless, Coleman was in no doubt about McBride's contribution yesterday. Asked whether the American had turned the game, he responded: "Definitely".

The Fulham manager's relief at the final whistle was palpable. Having failed to win in the Premiership for two months, Fulham have now opened up a six-point gap between themselves and third from bottom West Bromwich.

"I see it as a massive step forwards for us," added Coleman. "But I can't let my players relax on that. I'm not even going to talk about the teams above us - I've been doing that all season and it's got us nowhere. I'm just going to concentrate on getting away from the teams below us."

Before McBride's arrival, Fulham appeared bereft of ideas. Portsmouth goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown only had one save to make in the first half, when he denied Steed Malbranque from the penalty spot after Dejan Stefanovich handled Cole's cross. The Frenchman's miss, coming 13 minutes after Lomana Lua Lua had given Portsmouth the lead, added to the home fans' discontent after an unimaginative firsthalf performance.

McBride said: "I think everybody understood that the fans weren't very happy and to be honest I don't think that any of the players were. We had a lot of the ball but we were not getting things done in the final third. They funnelled us in pretty well."

Portsmouth were, though, aided by Fulham's lack of width in the opening 45 minutes. With Luis Boa Morte partnering Cole in attack, Fulham offered little threat from the flanks. However, the arrival of McBride proved pivotal, not least because it allowed Boa Morte to take up his more familiar role on the left, from where he had an immediate impact.

The Portuguese winger skipped around Steve Stone on the by- line before expertly cutting the ball back into the path of the onrushing-Cole, who side-footed powerfully past Ashdown for the equaliser.

Suddenly, the melancholy that greeted halftime was forgotten. The second arrived when Arjan De Zeeuw's header to Ashdown fell short. McBride, ever alert, latched onto the loose ball and acrobatically hooked it over the stranded Portsmouth keeper.

If McBride's first Premiership goal this season was the primer, then it was left to Boa Morte to apply the gloss. Having robbed Linvoy Primus of the ball, he galloped clear in injury-time before rounding Ashdown and placing the ball into an empty net.

E ven Jose Mourinho, watching from the stands, must have been impressed.