Ben Stevenson was delighted with how ruthless Pompey were in the second half against Gillingham.
They struck four times after the interval at Fratton Park to secure a 5-1 victory against League Two opponents in the EFL Trophy.
It was Stevenson who restored the advantage with a long-range strike after Tino Anjorin’s opener had been cancelled out by Jonny Williams.
And the midfielder was pleased that they refused to ease up, as Kusini Yengi, Abu Kamara and Ryley Towler completed a rout.
He said: “It was quite clear that we didn’t start the game too well and we just seemed a yard or two off it.
“We were perhaps lucky to come in level at half-time, but we stepped up after the break and blew Gillingham away.
“I just think that we can start off a bit sloppy at times and that’s something that we’re looking to cut out.
"We were really clinical after that and every time we went forward, it looked like we were going to score. We could have had a few more."
“It was down to the players to liven up and so we regrouped, got behind each other and gave it a really good go.
“The main thing was getting the win, although on a personal level, of course it’s nice to score my first goal for the club.
“I haven’t got too many in my career, but most of them do seem to be from outside the box and when it opened up, I only had one thing on my mind.
“We were really clinical after that and every time we went forward, it looked like we were going to score. We could have had a few more.”
Most of Stevenson’s appearances have been in cup competitions since his summer switch, with a first league outing coming against Port Vale at the weekend.
He said: “I’ve joined such a good squad and knew I’d have to be patient – when the team’s doing as well as we have been, there’s not much to complain about.
“It’s just about working hard and when my opportunity came on Saturday, I thought I took it quite well.
“Making my league debut was nice and I’ll grow in confidence with the more I play, looking to take those chances.”