Pompey’s goal hero felt they got their tactics spot on in their first League One fixture of 2021.
John Marquis nodded home a fine cross from Ryan Williams to secure all three points against Fleetwood at Highbury Stadium.
It was not a game of many clear-cut chances, although Michael Jacobs had a shot saved after the break.
But despite the hosts dominating possession in the second half, they were rarely able to trouble Craig MacGillivray.
Marquis said: “Fleetwood is a hard place to visit – there aren’t many sides that will go there and take three points this season.
“They’ve got a new manager in and a different style of play that is more possession based, but we had our own game-plan.
“We had good shape and kept a high line, while they didn’t really have anyone who was able to stretch our defence.
"But we executed our plan well and apart from one shot on target in the second half, they never really troubled us."
“And when Willo puts in a ball like that, I know that I’m going to be first in the queue to get on the end of it.
“When we could win the ball back, we were able to counter on them, although we didn’t take the opportunities we created from that.
“There were some half-chances for Willo and Jacobs that could have made the result more comfortable.
“But we executed our plan well and apart from one shot on target in the second half, they never really troubled us.
“We had to dig in when they threw bodies forward later on, but ultimately we’re the side who can perhaps feel unlucky not to score more.”
The result means that Pompey are now sitting just a single point outside the automatic promotion places.
Marquis said: “This league is very tight and there will be quite a few teams battling it out for the top two.
“There are still a lot of games remaining – especially with so many getting called off – and we know we’ll have to put a run together to get there.”