YOUTH: Argyle 4 Portsmouth 4
The young Pilgrims played out an eight-goal thriller on Tuesday against Portsmouth, and only a last-gasp equaliser could prevent them from securing another EFL Youth Alliance victory.
The Greens fell behind from a corner early on, only for Ethan Mitchell to head home from a cross to pull them level.
Pompey retook the lead again, though, as a ball in behind was converted by a visiting striker, before Jeremiah Medine beat his man down the left channel before smartly converting to tie the scores up at the interval.
Portsmouth re-took the lead for the third, and final time, after the break, as a cross from the right was converted from point-blank range, before Angel Waruih restored parity for the third time from the spot.
Striker Scott Crocker gave the Pilgrims the lead for the first time in the match, breaking the lines to race through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, before passing the ball coolly home.
In-form striker Rhys Shirley looked as though he was going to put the game beyond doubt shortly afterwards, but an incredible bobble on the playing surface deprived him of the opportunity to complete the scoring – and Pompey made the Pilgrims pay with a free header in the dying embers of the game.
Academy coach Darren Way said: "We gave away possession cheaply and then left their striker free to score.
“Overall, I was really pleased with the way the lads bounced back from the last game and again this was one that we should have won.
“We have scored 21 goals in six games now, but we have to make sure that we have a little bit more defensive discipline into our game with players taking more responsibility and making sure they concentrate and not present the opposition with the opportunities to score.
"When you gift a side two or three goals you are always facing an uphill challenge but in this game I cannot fault, from start to finish, the effort, enthusiasm and character that the players are showing. It's just making sure our concentration levels go up another notch.”
Plymouth Argyle: Tyler Coombes, Oscar Rutherford, Ali Mansaray, Ethan Mitchell, Brandon Pursall, Charlie Miller, Finley Craske, Angel Waruih, Jeremiah Medine, Rhys Shirley, Scott Crocker. Substitutes (not used): Lewis Moyle, Carlo Garside, Jamal Salawu, Oscar Massey.