A combination of injuries and suspension has left Pompey without any senior strikers for a couple of weeks.
But Ronan Curtis filled the void admirably against Rochdale to ensure the fine start to the Danny Cowley era continued.
He doubled the advantage at Fratton Park after Ryan Williams had opened the scoring, with the hosts ultimately securing a 2-1 victory.
And Curtis was more than happy to lead the line for the Blues as they boosted their promotion hopes.
The Republic of Ireland international said: “I don’t really mind where I play – on the left or through the middle – as long as I can help the lads.
“We’ve worked in the past few days on getting Crackers (Jacobs), Marcus and Willo (Williams) on the ball and finding those little inside passes for me to run onto.
“It was a good delivery to me and I think the shot went through the defender’s legs and into the bottom corner, so I was pleased.
"I don’t really mind where I play – on the left or through the middle – as long as I can help the lads."
“I like to be up against the full-back when I’m out wide and this time I was battling with the centre-halves.
“But I need to keep working hard for the team and for the management and make sure I keep contributing.
“We know that Rochdale like to play out and they’re a good team, but we showed character to see the game out.”
A third successive triumph means Pompey strengthened their grip on fifth spot with just nine games remaining.
Curtis said: “We know what we want to do and the aim is to get promoted, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.
“All we can do is keep winning and not worry about the sides around us in the table. We have to do our job.
“It’s three wins in a row for us now and we’re moving the ball around crisply, so of course it’s exciting.”