Curtis Main hopes that his injury nightmare is finally behind him.
The striker made his first league start in more than a year in Pompey’s 1-0 victory at Gillingham on Sunday.
It was September 10 2016 when he was last on the pitch from the beginning, as a host of problems plagued his maiden season on the south coast.
But injuries to other players gave Main a chance to impress at Priestfield and he was determined to make the most of the opportunity.
He said: “It opened up a gap for me and that’s always going to happen over the course of a campaign.
“I managed to get myself a few goals last season, but then I got a nasty head injury and it was a real bad luck story from then on.
"We couldn’t really pinpoint the actual problem, which is always frustrating."
“After coming back I got another injury and then during my rehab for that, I managed to collect yet another one.
“It was very difficult to get myself fit and we couldn’t really pinpoint the actual problem, which is always frustrating.
“Eventually I was able to get over it and came back after the summer with a fresh outlook, although I knew it was going to be difficult.
“I want to play for Portsmouth Football Club and the aim now is to stay in the side and get more appearances under my belt.”
Main had a major role to play in the winning goal, with his header coming back off the post for Matty Kennedy to slam home.
He said: “It’s always important to take your chances and thankfully there was someone there to follow up and score.
“Nathan Thompson put in a great cross and with a little bit of movement I was able to get in front of their defender and connect with the ball.
“Unfortunately it hit the post, but Matty’s really good at coming in from out wide for moments like that.
“We performed really well and it’s always an excellent result when you collect three points away from home.
“It was important we weren’t too expansive in the first half, but we dominated for most of it and knew the opportunities would come.”