It was a goal that opened his League One account for the season.
So Ben Close was frustrated that his milestone moment against Plymouth failed to secure victory for Pompey.
The midfielder drove the ball home from the edge of the box after a corner had only been partially cleared.
But Graham Carey’s fine free-kick saw the Home Park contest finish in a 1-1 draw, despite Close being impressed with the Blues’ rearguard display.
He said: “It’s been a while for me and I’ve only got one other goal this season, which came in the cup.
“So it was really pleasing for me to get off the mark in the league and hopefully I can go on to score some more.
"It’s pretty disappointing not to win the game after scoring first and defending pretty well for 90 minutes."
“The thoughts going through my head were to get a good touch out of my foot, hit it low and keep the ball on target.
“It’s pretty disappointing not to win the game after scoring first and defending pretty well for 90 minutes.
“We were really unlucky with the goal we conceded because it was never a free-kick, although how it was taken was excellent.
“We created chances and got into good areas – particularly in the second half – but just didn’t have that finishing touch.
“We’ve gone through a spell where we’re not scoring as many and that’s something the whole team has to look at.
“There’s the potential in our squad for goals from all over the pitch, so everyone needs to be at it to contribute.”