Defender delighted with Exeter display
Pompey had suffered plenty of frustration on their travels this season.
They fired blanks in a goalless draw at Crewe before crashing to a disappointing defeat in Morecambe.
So there was relief all round after they saw off Exeter to return from Devon with a maximum haul.
Gary Roberts grabbed the only goal from the penalty spot late on after Kal Naismith had been upended in the box.
And Enda Stevens was delighted that so many players made a key contribution for the Blues at St James Park.
The left-back said: “It’s very pleasing to come away to a tough place and get the win.
“You’re not going to dominate the game like you do at home, so it was important that we kept our heads.
“We changed to two banks of four and had to soak up some pressure at times, but then we were able to break up the pitch and get the penalty.
“It was a great ball by Christian Burgess and Kal found the space well, using his pace to knock it around the lad and draw the foul.
“We had a few chances and couldn’t score, so it’s nice to get that bit of luck and Robbo was never going to miss.
“We try our hardest to keep clean sheets and I thought David Forde was excellent – he came for everything. That experience he has helps us and we’ve all got confidence in him.
“There’s that bit of momentum, so it’s up to us to keep it going and get plenty of victories on the board early.
“We’ve got another game on Tuesday night, so we’ve got to look forward to that and try to win again.”