Scroll back five years and Sean Raggett was playing in the sixth tier of English football for Dover.
But he has since won promotion to the Football League with Dover and played Championship football at Norwich.
Now the centre-back is looking forward to achieving more success at Fratton Park after completing a season-long loan switch to Pompey.
And after getting the call from Kenny Jackett, he did not have to think too long about heading to the south coast.
The 25-year-old said: “It’s been a really good few years for me and now I’m here, I’m really excited to get going.
“I’ve always been confident in my ability and it was my aim to work my way up the leagues, although it was perhaps surprising that it happened so quickly.
"This is obviously a massive football club and it doesn’t really need selling. When I got talking to the manager I thought this was the place I wanted to come to."
“Going to Norwich was a big jump and it’s definitely improved me, even if I haven’t played many games for them.
“This is obviously a massive football club and it doesn’t really need selling. When I got talking to the manager I thought this was the place I wanted to come to.
“Nobody’s got any right to play in the team, so I’m here to work hard and win my shirt. Hopefully I can do that.
“This is a big season for me and the aim is to get Pompey back in the Championship. It’s a tough league and it’s where we want to be.”
🎥 You may remember @SeanRaggett from when he scored an FA Cup winner against @BurnleyOfficial for @LincolnCity_FC 👀
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) June 27, 2019
Here’s hoping for more memorable moments in a #Pompey shirt 🤞pic.twitter.com/iAvYbrpWaH
During his time at Lincoln, Raggett headed home a late goal at top-flight Burnley to send them into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
He recalled: “That was a really strange moment for me because nobody believed we could go there and win, although we were still confident.
“To score the goal was an unbelievable feeling – the kind of feeling that you can only really get playing football.”