There had not been much to excite the crowd of 1,010 at Privett Park as the game passed the hour mark.
But a four-minute brace from Louis Dennis certainly brought a low-key friendly encounter with Gosport to life.
The summer signing from Bromley opened the scoring with his first goal in a Pompey shirt, then slotted home another neat finish soon after.
An ultimately comfortable 3-0 victory was wrapped up in the closing stages by substitute Oscar Johnston’s fierce finish.
And even though it does not mean as much in pre-season, Dennis was pleased to make his mark on the contest
The midfielder said: “It was a good night for me. I wanted to get minutes in my legs and I was delighted to cap the performance with a couple of goals.
"Goals are everything for a forward player and if you’re not scoring, then you’re not going to be happy."
“This stage of the season is all about fitness and that was the most important thing for me and the rest of the lads.
“But goals are everything for a forward player and if you’re not scoring, then you’re not going to be happy.
“So I was really pleased to get off the mark for Pompey and hopefully it’s something that I can build on.
"The young lads in the team did really well against men and that’s the kind of experience they really need.”
Now Dennis hopes he can do enough to earn a place in the starting line-up for the League One opener against Luton on August 4.
He said: “I’ve got to keep working hard and stay patient until my chance arrives – but I’ll always be knocking on the door.
“I feel ready for the opportunity and that I can make a statement at this club. That’s what I’m looking to do.”