Portsmouth midfielder Adam Barton has said that he is hopeful a return to full fitness will bring with it some improved personal performances.

The summer signing from Coventry City was introduced at half time against Oxford United for his first league appearance of the campaign on the weekend.

Barton, who missed the whole of pre-season with a groin injury, admits that he found life difficult at the Kassam Stadium, but insists that there is still far more to come from him.

"It was a tough game to go into and I'm a bit short of match fitness at the moment," he told the club's official website. "You can do as much running as you want on the training pitch, but being properly match fit is completely different.

"It was hard to get into the game at the start of the second half because everyone else was already at the right tempo and I needed to get warmed up. I made a few mistakes – that was always going to happen – but I just tried to get on the ball and have an impact.

"It was difficult when I was out injured and not involved in the squad, but I've just had to work hard in training. Confidence is one of the biggest things in football, so being back out there has given me a big lift and hopefully I can build on that."

Portsmouth claimed a 1-1 draw at Oxford to remain inside the League Two automatic promotion zone.