Conor Shaughnessy expressed pure satisfaction after marking his comeback with a goal in Portsmouth’s thrilling 2-1 victory at Fratton Park.
The defender had been absent since September following hamstring surgery sustained during the Sheffield Wednesday clash. His return to action came in the 64th minute against the visiting Addicks, and he wasted no time making an impact.
Shaughnessy rose brilliantly to meet an Adrian Segečić corner, heading home to break the deadlock shortly after entering the fray. The centre-back’s contribution looked set to secure all three points until Harvey Knibbs equalised deep into stoppage time.
However, Minhyeok Yang had the final say, netting the decisive goal with the match’s last touch to spark wild celebrations amongst the home faithful.
Reflecting on his memorable return, Shaughnessy revealed: “As I was coming off the pitch, everyone was telling me they were calling it when I went up for the corner. I think some people have more confidence in me than I do.
“What happened at the end is difficult to actually put into words, but it was a great win for us and we managed to get over the line in the end.”
The Republic of Ireland international paid tribute to Portsmouth’s medical staff for their dedication throughout his rehabilitation period.
“It’s been a tough few months and credit to the medical team who have put in a lot of hard work to get me into the right shape to be back,” Shaughnessy acknowledged.
“It was good for me just to get back on the pitch, let alone be able to make such an impact. We do a lot of set-piece work with Doyler, so it’s nice for that to pay off.”
The 29-year-old explained his positioning for the goal, noting Segečić’s earlier deliveries had gone unconverted during the opening period.
“I watched in the first half as Segs put in some excellent balls that nobody was able to get on the end of, so I thought I just had to get into that area and it was a perfect delivery,” he said.
Shaughnessy praised the Fratton Park atmosphere, describing it as unmatched whilst expressing satisfaction at rewarding the Portsmouth FC supporters with victory.
“It was another special night at Fratton Park and there’s nothing like it. It’s nice to be able to send the fans home happy,” he added.
“To get that winning feeling back is great and we hope that it can be a little turning point for us that we can build on.
“We’re happy with the performance overall – and obviously happy with the outcome. We now want to take that into our next game.”
