Portsmouth 0-1 Accrington Stanley: Pompey miss out on play-offs after defeat
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Adam Phillips (left) found space in the box to smash the ball into the roof of the net
Portsmouth dropped out of the League One play-offs on the final day after being beaten by mid-table Accrington.
A win would have guaranteed Danny Cowley's side sixth place but they fell behind to Adam Phillips' rifled finish.
It could have been worse for the hosts but Colby Bishop's header was ruled out for offside on the stroke of half-time.
Ronan Curtis, George Byers and Charlie Daniels went close but Pompey could not recover, with victory for Oxford moving them into the last play-off place.
Charlton's win over Hull means Portsmouth finish eighth, five points and three places above Accrington.
A minute's silence was held before the game at Fratton Park for former Pompey midfielder Alan McLoughlin, who died earlier this week at the age of 54.
Home boss Cowley, whose short-term deal is now set to expire, made a big selection call at centre-back, starting Jack Whatmough over previous ever-present Sean Raggett, and they started brightly, John Marquis' shot blocked by the excellent Stanley keeper Toby Savin.
But news of an Oxford goal against Burton, turfing Pompey out of the top six in the live table, seemed to unnerve the hosts as they spent the rest of the half on the back foot.
As the U's moved further ahead in their game it became clear Portsmouth would have to win and, though they dominated after the interval, they struggled to create clear-cut chances and Savin made a number of decent saves to ensure Pompey will spend another season in the third tier.
Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley:
"I am extremely disappointed with the result but the league doesn't lie and after 46 games we weren't good enough.
"Accrington came here to put in a performance and are a very good side but I was disappointed with our first-half performance.
"We were maybe fortunate to only be one down at half-time but we changed it for the second half. I thought we controlled possession and the majority of the ball but we just didn't quite have enough.
"Looking forward it's now down to people above our heads as to the direction the club goes, obviously we would love to stay here because it's a great club and a great set of fans."