There were seven members of Pompey’s team aged 22 and under against Oldham, including the entire back five.
So Brett Pitman offered some much needed nous to the side that took to the pitch on a snowy afternoon at Boundary Park.
The striker – making his comeback after missing three games with a hamstring injury – grabbed both goals in a 2-0 triumph.
He converted Connor Ronan’s cross and then stole the ball from keeper Johny Placide to double the advantage before the break.
“I’m pleased of course,” said the Blues skipper. “But it was more pleasing just to come away with all three points.
“Everyone knew their keeper took chances and Connor almost took advantage of that before I was able to. That made it 2-0 and it was massive for us.
"We are a young side and I like to think that the extra bit of experience I can offer helped us on this occasion."
“We are a young side and I like to think that the extra bit of experience I can offer helped us on this occasion.
“There are those little things that most people perhaps don’t notice, like knowing when to slow the game down.
“You only add those things by playing a lot of matches and our lads will come out the other side of this run better for the experience.”
The conditions were particularly tough midway through the second half and there was an eight-minute delay while the lines were cleared.
Pitman said: “It was tough – especially during those blizzards. You couldn’t really see what you were doing, but we managed to hang in for the win.
“Oldham were putting pressure on the referee to get it abandoned during the worst spells of snow, but we came through the worst periods.
“If the shoe had been on the other foot then I’m sure we would have tried to do exactly the same thing.
“Credit to the ref because he kept control of things and managed to get the game going again, which we were happy about.”