Bryn Morris has endured a torrid time since joining Pompey from Shrewsbury at the beginning of 2019.
A succession of injury setbacks means he has been limited to just eight appearances, which all came last season.
The midfielder was just starting to close in on a comeback when the coronavirus forced football to be suspended.
But that break means he is now feeling fully fit and raring to go ahead of the play-off clashes with Oxford.
Morris said: “I was back before the lockdown for a few weeks, but hadn’t done a full session with the whole team.
“So it feels good to be available now after a long time out. When we came back everyone was on an even keel in terms of fitness.
“It’s been a rough year and now I’m back to myself – playing without pain. The rehab I went through was relentless and mentally hard.
"It’s a lonely an frustrating time when your mind says one thing and your body just says ‘no’."
“You see specialists and have operations and when it doesn’t work you do wonder if you’re going to get back to normal.
“My family have been a big help and Bobby (Bacic) put up with a lot of whinging from me. It’s a lonely and frustrating time when your mind says one thing and your body just says ‘no’.
“There were times when simple things like rolling over in bed or getting up off the sofa would leave me in pain.
“I knew that I was miles away from being back and the worst thing was going to watch the games in the stands every week. You can’t be out there with the lads trying to win.”
Morris will now hope to be involved when Pompey face Oxford, with the first leg at Fratton Park just over a week away.
He said: “I can’t wait. The preparations have been good and I’ve done well in the friendly games, so I’m buzzing for it.”