Kenny Jackett singled out Ben Close for praise after the midfielder's goal helped Pompey end a run of three league defeats with a win at Blackpool.
Close's strike was sandwiched by Brett Pitman's double as the Blues won a thriller at Bloomfield Road 3-2 - after a goalless first half.
The manager feels the local lad has had plenty to contribute recently and was delighted to see him net his first Pompey goal.
Twice Pompey took the lead and were pegged back - by Viv Solomon-Otabor and an Oliver Hawkins own-goal - but Pitman nodded in from close range with four minutes left to seal a first league win since October 14.
Jackett told the club website: 'It was end-to-end with a lot of chances and both sides were keen to attack. Fair play to our squad because they showed a lot of character to go ahead three times and then survive a siege at the end.
'We probably don’t have enough defensively-minded players in the squad and when you have that many attacking guys on the pitch, you’ll have that kind of game. But we stayed strong and it caps a good week for us after the victory at Charlton in the Checkatrade Trophy.
'It’s good to win, but we had to earn it and the players certainly worked very hard. It’s never easy to come away and get a positive result. I was pleased for Ben to score his first goal for the club and he’s having a really impressive spell. He keeps improving and we’re delighted for him.'
It sets them up nicely for a run of three games in eight days starting next Saturday, with the visits to Fratton of Southend and Plymouth either side of a midweek visit to Peterborough.
Pompey (4-2-3-1): McGee; Evans, Hawkins, Burgess, Clarke; Close, Rose; Lowe, Bennett (Donohue 87), Naismith; Pitman. Subs not used: Bass, Talbot, May, Kennedy, Chaplin, Main.
Referee: Jon Moss
Attendance: 5,032 (1,711 Pompey fans)
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