He was making his first League One start for exactly three months.
So Andy Cannon is hoping he showed enough in an hour against Ipswich on Saturday to keep his place in the side.
The midfielder looked particularly bright before the break, but was replaced by Gareth Evans in the second half.
And with Pompey winning 1-0 – courtesy of Ronan Curtis’ fine strike – Cannon was pleased to be back in the thick of it.
He said: “There are occasions where you just have to bide your time and be ready to take the chance when it comes along.
“It was great that we also got the result and with a run of games, I feel like I’ll get that sharpness back to get past people.
"There are occasions where you just have to bide your time and be ready to take the chance when it comes along."
“I wanted to be out on the pitch and now I want to secure my place because it’s frustrating when you’re out of the side.
“There are other guys in my position who have had great careers and you understand that there’s always going to be competition.
“Hopefully I can bring something a bit different to the team, though, and help us to pick up more good results.
“I’ll set goals for myself – and for the team – in 2020 and will look to play more games and help push us up the table.”
Pompey stayed in 10th position after beating Ipswich, but moved to within two points of the play-off places.
Cannon said: “It was a big win for us against a strong side just before Christmas and that’s exactly what we needed.
“The second half was tough when the rain really started to come down, but you’ve got to stay focused and deal with that.
“We can go on a run now and have definitely got the players to do just that – hopefully we can face Wycombe on Boxing Day and win again.”