Paul Hart accepts Portsmouth will continue to struggle unless they cut out the types of mistakes which saw them come undone at Aston Villa.

Nadir Belhadj dragged down Stiliyan Petrov to give the home side a penalty, and Tal Ben Haim made a mistake to allow them to double the lead before the break.

This defeat leaves Pompey rooted to the foot of the table following six straight losses, and Hart admits they need to cut out their defensive lapses.

“I've got great belief in the players and I think you saw out there signs that we'll improve. But if we continue to make schoolboy errors we'll find it very difficult," he told Sky Sports.

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