He was making his first start in more than three months.
So Brandon Haunstrup was delighted to help Pompey secure a 2-0 victory at a snowy Oldham on Saturday.
The academy graduate was an assured presence on the left side of a defence that kept their first clean sheet since beating Bury on home soil in mid-December.
And now a fully-fit Haunstrup is looking to continue to impress in the final nine matches of the campaign.
He said: “To come back into the team and for us to put in such a strong, solid performance was really pleasing.
“The fans came all that way to support us in touch conditions and it was just a good day all round for them and us.
"The main thing for me now is to finish the season as strongly as possible and be involved in a lot of games."
“There was a real team spirit out there. We all worked hard and got our reward with the points and clean sheet.
“It was frustrating to pick up the injury and when I got back fit, I was just looking to get back into the side as soon as possible.
“The main thing for me now is to finish the season as strongly as possible and be involved in a lot of games.”
There were fears that the match might be abandoned as conditions worsened during the second half, leading to a delay while the lines were cleared of snow.
Haunstrup said: “When you’re leading 2-0 away, the last thing you want is the game being called off.
“There was a 20-minute period in the second half when it was very hard for everyone out on the pitch.
“We had the wind in our faces and obviously the referee had to get the lines cleared because you couldn’t see them.”