Jack Whatmough was a welcome presence on the bench when Pompey travelled to Plymouth on Monday evening.
The defender had been out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in a home defeat to Charlton.
But he was fit enough to make the journey to Devon and came on at the start of the second half, providing a commanding presence in the 2-2 draw.
And Whatmough is fit enough to feature again when Crewe head to Fratton Park for the latest League One fixture this weekend.
He said: “The gaffer had called me midway through last week to see if I was alright and how I was feeling.
“I finished my rehab running on the Friday and was able to train over the weekend to be ready for Plymouth.
"With a lot of games close together, the body could have probably done with the break."
“My hamstring was alright and I’d already said that in the game when I came off, I could actually have carried on.
“But I was then able to have two weeks of rest, which was something that I might have needed anyway.
“I didn’t play much last season and then we had lockdown, so with a lot of games close together, the body could have probably done with the break.
“The scan results gave me the all-clear, so I was ready to say that I was fit. I came on for the second half and felt fine. I’m fresh and ready to kick on.”
Pompey are now sitting just three points adrift of the automatic promotion places ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Whatmough said: “We haven’t slipped away from where we want to be. We’re still right in the mix and have to push on again on Saturday.”