It was a sight that would have lifted the spirits of all those present inside Fratton Park.
Watching Jack Whatmough emerge from the tunnel in the famous blue kit is something that was long overdue.
The defender had been out of action since the start of September after suffering another serious knee injury.
But he looked confident throughout his 76 minutes on the pitch, before being replaced by Conor Chaplin in a 3-1 home defeat to Gillingham.
It was not the outcome that Whatmough would have wanted, although it was certainly a relief to see him return to the Blues back-line.
He said: “It should be a good day for me because I’ve made my comeback, but it’s overshadowed by the defeat.
“But it’s still great to be back and something that I have worked really hard to achieve with the physios.
"There was never any doubt from me that I’d be back because I had great people around me the whole time."
“It was mentally tough at stages along the way, but it’s all worth it when you get back out on the pitch again.
“There was never any doubt from me that I’d be back because I had great people around me the whole time.
“I trusted the physios and the surgeon, while the boys got me through it. Then I’d go home and my family would get me through it.
“I wanted my comeback to result in us getting three points and it wasn’t to be, so hopefully that will change next time I play.”
Jamal Lowe’s goal saw Pompey take the lead against the Gills, only for their opponents to hit back after the break.
Whatmough said: “We started well and controlled the first half, but didn’t seem to come out for the second and that’s disappointing.
“Everyone here wants to do well for this club and so we have to pick ourselves up because one win can change everything.
“It’s a sticky patch for us at the moment, although we’re a young squad and want to keep learning from those setbacks.
“We’ll watch the game back on Monday, work out where we went wrong and try to put it right when we play Oldham.”