It was the final dress rehearsal ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
And Kenny Jackett was pleased to see that his players did not fluff their lines on the grand Fratton stage.
Facing an FC Utrecht side who narrowly missed out on European qualification from the Dutch league last term, they fell behind to Sean Klaiber’s unstoppable strike.
But a similarly impressive finish from Anton Walkes levelled the scores and Jackett felt it was the hosts who looked more likely to snatch victory.
The Blues boss said: “It wasn’t bad at all. I felt they dominated the first 20 minutes, but once we worked them out a bit then we came into our own.
“We had a lot of chances and were unfortunate not to score more goals, while we gave the majority of our squad the opportunity to play at Fratton Park.
"It was a good game for our supporters to see and not a typical British one."
“That was very good for the new lads and we made sure that everyone knew their jobs against a high-quality side.
“They scored a fantastic goal, but otherwise created very little against us, while we had opportunities in both halves.
“It was a good game for our supporters to see and not a typical British one, which they’ll see many of over the next nine months.
“We thank them for their attendance and hopefully they’ve seen signs that we can do well in League One.”
There was a concerning moment just past the hour mark when Jamal Lowe limped off the pitch injured.
Jackett said: “He just felt his ankle and we’ll see how bad it is. These things happen during the season and it’s why you need a squad to sustain you.
“Jamal won’t be out long. We’ll look after him well and hope he’s ready, but if not then someone else will be.”