Portsmouth avoided the embarrassment of becoming the first FA Cup holders since Chelsea in 1998 to go out in the third round. A much-improved display from their recent scrappy efforts in the Barclays Premier League was enough to defeat Bristol City in a replay at Ashton Gate last night and secure a fourth-round tie at home to Swansea City, another Coca-Cola Championship side.

It has been a trying few months for Tony Adams, whose introduction to life as a manager has been harsh since he succeeded Harry Redknapp at Fratton Park in October. Before the trip to the West Country, he had overseen only three wins in 15 matches in all competitions. He has also lost two of his better players, Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe, albeit for a combined fee of about £35 million.

Chuck in the “For Sale” signs outside the club and the murmurs that Adams could soon lose more players in the transfer window and he could be forgiven for feeling sorry for himself. At least he tried to dispel the latter last night. “I’ve got no offers for any of my players,” he said. “I still need reinforcements, we’re a bit thin on the ground, and we’re down the line with a few of them.”

Portsmouth could do with extra troops. Losing Diarra and Defoe has created holes that will prove difficult to fill. Against City, though, Peter Crouch did prove that there may be life after the striker who has moved to Tottenham Hotspur, linking smoothly with David Nugent up front. In the drab 0-0 draw in the first match ten days earlier, Crouch had been forced to forage alone, which did not make for a pretty sight.

It was Crouch who had given Portsmouth the lead in the 38th minute, when he tore from one end of the pitch to the other to take advantage of equally swift work from Nadir Belhadj and Armand Traoré. “I think that was two strides for Peter,” Adams said of Crouch’s dash. “He’s a great lad. He wants to fight for this football club. I’m so pleased he got the goal.

Gary Johnson, the City manager, was less enamoured, with Crouch appearing to have handled the ball — perhaps twice in the same motion — before taking off on his sprint. “The TV people said to me, ‘Do you want to have a look at it because it was handball?’ ” Johnson said. “I said, ‘No thank you.’ I didn’t want to be spending the second half ranting and raving.”

Johnson also claimed that Marvin Elliott had been grabbed by person or persons unknown as he dived to head the ball early in the first half. David James had saved brilliantly to prevent Portsmouth from going 1-0 down. “It was a definite penalty,” Johnson said. “He had hold of his shirt. I will just have to go home and kick the cat. Actually, he’s called ‘Referee’.”

Whether Mick Jones, the real referee, erred in either decision is open to debate. City never really got going, anyway, with Portsmouth showing a marked improvement from their initial meeting on the South Coast. Belhadj raced away to set up Niko Kranjcar for their second goal near the end and, after Sol Campbell had fouled Nicky Maynard in the last minute, James excelled again to save Maynard’s spot-kick.

The defence of the Cup, it would appear, may yet reignite Portsmouth’s faltering season and Adams’s fledgeling managerial career. “Holders? I don’t think that’s a burden for us, certainly not for me,” Adams said. “I haven’t even used it as a motivational tool, like ‘Come on, lads. It’s our Cup’ because it’s a new competition, a new year and a new team.”

Bristol City (4-3-3): A Basso — B Orr, J McCombe, L Carey, L Fontaine (sub: D Adebola, 81min) — M Elliott, L Johnson, C Skuse (sub: M McIndoe, 70) — I Sproule, P Styvar (sub: S John, 67), N Maynard. Substitutes not used: J McAllister, B Wilson, G Williams, S Henderson. Booked: Johnson.

Portsmouth (4-4-2): D James — G Johnson, S Campbell, S Distin, N Belhadj — M Wilson, Y Kaboul, N Kranjcar, A Traoré (sub: H Hreidarsson, 84) — D Nugent (sub: J Utaka, 66), P Crouch (sub: Kanu, 90). Substitutes not used: N Pamarot, A Mvuemba, G Little, A Begovic. Booked: Johnson, Kaboul.

Referee: M Jones.