Ben Thompson’s first goal as a professional footballer came in the FA Cup and of the four he had scored in total, three came in that competition.
So it should have come as no surprise to see the midfielder open his Pompey account in a first round tie at Maidenhead.
The Millwall loanee converted a Ronan Curtis delivery just before the break, with Oli Hawkins, Jamal Lowe and David Wheeler completing the job in the second half.
Thompson was pleased to get the ball rolling and knows that he needs to provide more of an attacking threat moving forward.
He said: “Ronan crossed the ball perfectly and I caught it on my left foot – I’m lucky it went in because it could have gone anywhere.
“I’m over the moon to get the first one. I’ve been waiting a while and the manager’s been on at me about scoring.
“I’ve needed to get in the box more and contribute some goals – and he knows that I’m capable of doing it.
"I’ve been waiting a while and the manager’s been on at me about scoring a goal."
“The FA Cup’s important, but the league is our priority and so now I want to start adding some there as well.”
A trip to National League strugglers Maidenhead was a potential banana skin, but Pompey would not slip up at York Road.
Thompson said: “It’s a no-win for us because you’re expected to go through and if you don’t then people think you’re a bad club.
“But we were professional and took the challenge seriously. We made sure we got the result we needed – and deserved.
“Maidenhead did well in the first half and we knew they would be right up for it, so we had to be patient.
“But the important thing is that we’ve made it through to the next round and I don’t really mind who we get next.
“Our focus now is on the Checkatrade Trophy game on Tuesday night and then we’ll look forward to going to Scunthorpe in the league.”