He went 20 games without finding the net after scoring twice in his first two appearances of the season.
And when Ben Close sent a shot high into the Milton End, he probably thought it would be another elusive evening in front of goal.
So the midfielder was delighted to see his second half volley against Rotherham fly into the bottom corner at the Fratton End.
The even better news was that it was the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory that leaves Pompey just a couple of points outside the play-off places.
Close said: “It’s about time I scored again because I’ve had quite a few chances in the past 10 or so games.
“I’ve been a bit unlucky in some of those situations, with the keeper making saves and defenders making blocks.
"When you do go through a dry patch it’s about making sure you still have chances and get into the right areas."
“There have also been some missed opportunities and I was disappointed with the one I had in the first half.
“When you do go through a dry patch it’s about making sure you still have chances and get into the right areas.
“Eventually one’s going to fall in and so I was really happy to see it that shot hit the net in the second half.
“I saw the ball bouncing around the edge of the box and needed to get there first. I got it under control and kept the shot low.
“There wasn’t really much time to think about it and thankfully the placement was more important than the power.”
The visitors were sitting fourth in the League One standings and Close was pleased with how the Blues dealt with them.
He said: “I thought we limited Rotherham to very little and the whole team deserves credit because you saw some of the pressing from the front.
“When we needed the defenders, they did very well again, although two goals from set-pieces is obviously something for us to look at.
“Our fitness and attitude have been so important and we’ve got a squad full of great lads. There’s never been a problem with that.”