It was a special way to mark his quick return to Kenilworth Road.
Ryan Tunnicliffe left Luton to sign for Pompey earlier in the summer, but soon had a chance to return to his former club for a pre-season friendly.
And Danny Cowley continued his recent rotation of the captain’s armband by handing it to the midfielder.
Gassan Ahadme cancelled out Elijah Adebayo’s early opener in the 1-1 draw and Tunnicliffe was pleased with the team’s performance.
He said: “It was a tough game against a good side – which is exactly what we expected – and there were some good minutes for the boys.
“I’m one of the experienced lads, but the armband is not something I expected. I thought it was a nice touch from the manager.
“I felt it was a positive day all round and we’ve managed to come away from here with a decent result.
"I’m one of the experienced lads, but the armband is not something I expected. I thought it was a nice touch from the manager."
“There have been some difficult teams that we’ve faced in pre-season and the performances have been really encouraging.
“We’re feeling good and have seen some progress – we’ve handled ourselves well and are pressing well from the front.
“I think we’ll be more than ready for the first league game, which is obviously what everyone’s looking forward to.
“We’ll get our heads down and hopefully be able to enjoy a successful season. I can’t wait for it to start.”
A few hundred Pompey supporters were at the game and Tunnicliffe is looking forward to see even more for next Saturday’s home friendly against Peterborough.
He said: “It was great to see the fans inside the ground and I know it will be special at Fratton Park next week because the wait has been so long for them.”