It is just shy of nine months since Fratton Park was full of fans for a League One draw with Fleetwood.
So Joe Gallen was delighted to see supporters inside the ground again to watch Pompey take on Peterborough.
The attendance was limited to 2,000 by current government guidelines and they were treated to a 2-0 triumph.
And Gallen felt that the backing the Blues received helped propel them to victory against their fellow promotion hopefuls.
Pompey’s assistant manager said: “The fans coming back made a huge difference – there’s no doubt about that. Was it 2,000? It felt like more!
“They were fantastic throughout and it shows that we have missed them because we were well on top after the break.
"Fratton Park is an amazing place and I’ve always said it’s probably the best set of fans in the country – win, lose or draw."
“Just having them back during the warm-up gave us a lift and we had to acknowledge them and give them a clap.
“Fratton Park is an amazing place and I’ve always said it’s probably the best set of fans in the country – win, lose or draw.”
Jack Whatmough broke the deadlock in the second half before a stunning Tom Naylor strike secured the points.
Gallen said: “It was an excellent afternoon and we were able to come back strongly after a disappointing result on Tuesday.
“I thought that we were the better team in both the first and second half – it was a convincing 2-0 victory.
“We were just wondering if the goals would come because we had the territory and crosses were coming in.
“There’s always a worry because Peterborough have some dangerous players, such as Dembele and Clarke-Harris.
“But you hear that record about us not losing two successive league games and there was a real determination not to let that happen.”