Gareth Evans believes that patience was a key reason behind Pompey’s win over Scunthorpe at the weekend.
Omar Bogle and Jamal Lowe both struck in the second half to boost the Blues’ promotion hopes at a blustery Fratton Park.
But with 71 minutes on the clock before the opener went in, there were some inside the ground fearing a goal would never arrive.
It was a free-kick from Evans that led to the deadlock finally being broken, with the fans’ favourite deployed wide on the right after replacing the injured Viv Solomon-Otabor just before the break.
“I hadn’t played on the wing for a while,” he said. “But I felt I contributed well to the game and I don’t really mind where I’m playing.
“We had to be quite patient and the conditions did play their part, but we were confident we could win if we got that first goal.
"The fans were probably a little bit apprehensive because we hadn’t taken the opportunities that presented themselves in the first half."
“That proved to be the case and it helps when you’re going towards that Fratton End in the second half.
“Scunthorpe were a tough unit defensively and we knew how they were going to set up once we saw their team.
“The fans were probably a little bit apprehensive because we hadn’t taken the opportunities that presented themselves in the first half.
“Perhaps they thought it was going to be one of those days, but Omar put the ball in the net with a great finish and then Jamal got the job done.
“We just need to keep going – we’re in a reasonable vein of form, so let’s take it game by game and see where we end up.”
Evans was featuring for the first time since signing a new contract that keeps him at Pompey until the summer of 2021.
He said: “I love playing for this football club and have been desperate to sign for a while. I’m proud to be at Pompey and delighted we got over the line.”