Defender enjoyed league debut
He has had to wait patiently for his Pompey league debut.
And Tom Davies hopes a strong defensive display at Exeter was enough to earn a longer run in the side.
He helped the Blues keep a clean sheet in Devon, ensuring that Gary Roberts’ late penalty was enough to secure all three points.
It was a welcome introduction to the back four for Davies, whose pre-season preparations were hampered by a back injury.
The centre-back said: “I feel that I’m getting back to 100 per cent now, although the last 10 minutes were a bit tough.
“Hopefully I’ve shown the gaffer what I can do and that warrants me keeping my place in the team.
“You expect competition for places at a club like Pompey – it’s healthy – and it’s up to me to keep that shirt.
“So to get a clean sheet was very satisfying and now we’ve built up some momentum, so hopefully that can continue.”
Pompey were not overly troubled by their hosts, until the final few minutes when Exeter poured forward in search of an equaliser.
Davies said: “I felt quite comfortable in the first half and I don’t think they caused us too many problems.
“There was then an onslaught after we scored the goal, but that was always going to happen.
“We had plenty of quality on the pitch and Kal Naismith was able to come off the bench to win us a penalty.
“Then we had guys like Michael Doyle and Danny Rose who were able to make vital clearances, and obviously the keeper played a very important role.
“He’s been an ever-present in the league since I’ve been here and makes a big difference to the side.”