A longer than anticipated recovery for Alex Bass meant Kenny Jackett needed to strengthen his goalkeeping options before the transfer window closed.
And Lewis Ward has arrived on loan from Exeter to provide competition for regular stopper Craig MacGillivray.
The 23-year-old knows he will probably be on the bench when Pompey visit Charlton at the weekend.
But he is excited to make the step up to a League One side and is looking to keep the current incumbent on his toes.
Ward said: “It happened quite quickly and I’m here initially as number two, but to compete and challenge.
“I got a phone call and this is a huge, historic club, so it was an opportunity that I couldn’t really turn down.
“I know that I’m not going to walk straight into the team this weekend, but if I can push Craig and he pushes me, then that’s great.
“Joining Exeter was my start in League Two and now this is my next step into League One – hopefully I can go further.
"I know that I’m not going to walk straight into the team this weekend, but if I can push Craig and he pushes me, then that’s great."
“I ruptured my ankle earlier in the season and I was enjoying a run of games at the time, but I’m all good now, which is perfect.”
Ward was in goal for Exeter when they were beaten 3-2 in a dramatic EFL Trophy semi-final contest at Fratton Park last season.
He said: “It was probably the most rollercoaster 10 minutes I’ve ever played. It was one hell of a match.
“That was one of the standout games of my career – appearing in front of more than 14,000 people in a semi-final.
“I thought we did well until the 80th minute and then, out of nowhere, we were 3-2 down. It was tough to take, but the fans were incredible.”
This will not be Ward’s first experience of life with the Blues, as he spent time with the club’s academy as a teenager.
He recalled: “It was a youth team loan towards the end of the season and I was trying to get some experience of under-18s football. I think some of the lads are still here.”
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