There was a welcome sight when the teams were announced for Pompey’s match at Port Vale on Saturday.
Connor Ogilvie was named at left-back for the League One contest, having recovered from a frustrating double injury blow.
After returning from a groin issue suffered in September, he went off with an ankle problem just a few minutes into his comeback outing against Cambridge the following month.
But following a cameo appearance at Fleetwood, the defender was in the starting line-up again at Vale Park, helping the Blues secure a 1-0 victory.
Ogilvie said: “That’s the first operation I’ve had an it’s obviously not nice, so I’ve just tried to work as hard as I can to return.
“It’s been a really long time and so it felt amazing to be back out there with the boys and to get three points.
"That’s the first operation I’ve had an it’s obviously not nice, so I’ve just tried to work as hard as I can to return."
“We probably should have had a few more goals, but we’ll take the victory and move forward to Tuesday.
“There was just a bit more quality needed with our end product, although thankfully we got the penalty and Colby slotted it away.
“We had to deal with the threat of the long ball from Port Vale and then just let the front boys do their magic.
“The fans were amazing for us. Every game is massive and we want to stay top, so we need to go on a run.”
Ogilvie was impressed with how Myles Peart-Harris performed on his debut, just a few days after completing a loan switch from Brentford.
The defender said: “He was exceptional and picked up a lot of second balls to make it hard for them, as well as having a few attempts on goal. I’m sure they’ll start going in soon.”