An eighth-placed finish hardly eases the frustration of once more being unable to make the play-offs, let alone regain their place in the Championship.
Nonetheless, there are those who emerged from the season with plenty of credit, while others were a huge let down – and here are our player-by-player ratings for 2022-23.
9. Di'Shon Bernard - 7
Endured an usual Pompey loan spell, yet his ability is abundantly clear and must be signed permanently in the summer. Initially asked to play at right-back, he then spent 10 successive matches on the bench as his Fratton Park stay threatened to become pointless. However, there was a late-season flurry of starts, with John Mousinho eager to see Di'Shon in action. Subsequently starting the last four matches, the powerful centre-half shone, barely putting a foot wrong, and remains a player Mousinho wants to bring back. Jason Brown/ProSportsImages Photo: Jason Brown
10. Ryley Towler - 7
Breezed into Fratton Park in January and adapted superbly to regular first-team football, becoming an instant hit with supporters. A left-footed centre-half who is comfortable on the ball and also weighed in with two goals in the 3-1 win over Bolton in February. Wouldn't have expected to make 20 League One appearances in his opening six months and suffered a harsh lesson against Port Vale's Ellis Harrison. Clearly a developing talent and fans are rightly excited about what his future holds. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages Photo: Jason Brown
11. Marlon Pack - 7
A strong start to his second spell at Fratton Park, but a sending off and hamstring tear at Charlton in October signalled a mid-season drop in form. A knee operation then sidelined Marlon Pack for 10 matches, but he returned to net three goals in the final five matches. A born leader and crucial - if often underestimated - part of Pompey's midfield, he previously barely suffered an injury in his career before rejoining the Blues. Potentially the next captain, he collected Goal of the Season for his volley against Exeter in January. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages Photo: Jason Brown
12. Joe Morrell - 8
A tale of two halves for Joe Morrell, who has been sensational since his return from World Cup finals duty with Wales in December. Before that, injury ruled him out of the opening seven games, then it took him a while to find his stride, plus there were distractions of the forthcoming tournament in Qatar. All impacted his form - and he was subsequently unrecognisable in the second half of the campaign. Understandably an automatic first-team choice, although two red cards, the second one needless, ruled him out for four matches in the play-off run in - and without him Pompey won once. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages Photo: Jason Brown