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Utaka - Season starts here

John Utaka equalises for Portsmouth just before half time
Image: Utaka: Eyes turning point

Portsmouth's John Utaka hopes his FA Cup goals against Sunderland will be the turning point in his season.

Pompey striker hoping goals are turning point

Portsmouth striker John Utaka hopes his FA Cup goals against Sunderland will be the turning point in his season. The Nigerian marksman scored twice as Pompey gave their long-suffering fans something to cheer by progressing to the fifth round of the FA Cup. The goals were Utaka's first since he found the back of the net against lowly Hereford in the Carling Cup back in August. Utaka has only scored six Premier League goals in 55 appearances following his costly £7million move from Rennes in 2007. With all the doom and gloom surrounding Pompey's long-term future, Utaka is hoping to have more opportunities to show what he can do.

Turning point

"What I did in this game is what I love to do, and it helped us do well which is important," explained Utaka. "Hopefully this will be the turning point of the season for me, because I feel football is a game of opportunity so when you have your chance you have to take it. "The FA Cup is a magic competition. For me it is just as important as the league, and hopefully this win will also help us to start climbing the table because we don't deserve to be where we are. "We have to believe we can do it and keep going. We will fight together to try to get the right results."

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