Argyle Under-18s produced a remarkable late comeback to turn a two-goal deficit into a lead, only for Luton Town to make it 3-3 seconds after the Young Pilgrims had gone in front.
Argyle looked set for defeat after Jerome Passley-James and Tyler Smart gave the Hatters a 2-0 lead, but Seb Campbell, Frankie Maund and Tashall Sandhu found the back of the net in quick succession to spark an extraordinary turnaround.
However, the drama didn’t end there, as the visitors responded almost immediately through substitute Excel Ed-Okungbowa to ensure the points were shared.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry made four changes to the side that drew to Bristol Rovers last weekend. Charlie Pawley, Seb Campbell, Harry Locke and Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff came in to replace Leo McCormick, Billy Devlin, Jared Rendle and James Sharpe.
An unchanged back four of Toby Rider, Toby MacLean, Dylan Williams and Corey Browne started ahead of Pawley, with Joel Tolcher and Campbell operating in midfield. Locke and Sandhu flanked, leaving Boudarga-Wischhoff to partner Maund up front.
Luton enjoyed the faster start to the game and took the lead in the 11th minute when the ball bobbled out to Passley-James on the edge of the 18-yard box, and he struck a precise shot into the bottom-left corner.
It took until the 27th minute of the match for Argyle’s top scorer Maund to register the first real opportunity for the hosts. Sandhu played an incisive through ball to find his teammate, who dragged his shot narrowly wide.
The duo combined again towards the end of the first period, but this time Maund was denied by a top-drawer save from Luton keeper Peter Muir. The Argyle striker took on his defender successfully after receiving Sandhu’s pass, before releasing a powerful strike towards goal, forcing Muir to dive down to his right.
A relatively uneventful start to the second half came next, prompting Lowry to make a triple substitution, replacing Rider, Locke and Boudarga-Wischhoff with Sharpe, Devlin and Marley-Blu Francis.
The trio immediately made their mark on the game, as Argyle began to ramp up the pressure on the Luton back line. Within five minutes of their introduction, Devlin’s impressive dribbling saw Josiah Akinfenwa booked, while Sharpe and Francis forced saves from Muir.
However, it was the Hatters who scored next.
Smart latched onto Ty Lesser’s ball over the top of the Young Pilgrims’ defence, let it bounce twice, and hit a powerful right-footed strike into the bottom-left corner.
Argyle reacted well to Luton extending their lead and scored a goal of their own in the 82nd minute when MacLean played a simple pass to Campbell, who released a well-hit, left-footed shot from outside the box that beat Muir.
Maund then drew the Young Pilgrims level after getting on the end of Francis’ lobbed pass and lifting the ball over the heads of Muir and his defenders, before it eventually nestled into the back of the net.
With momentum on their side, the Greens attacked again from the restart. Devlin received the ball in a right-back position and played an inch-perfect diagonal pass to Sandhu, who drove into the box before lobbing Muir – just like Maund had done only a few moments earlier.
Luton decided to make a comeback of their own though and equalised almost immediately from the restart. Muir lofted a pass over the top of Argyle’s back line to find Okungbowa who made no mistake when one-on-one with Pawley.
The fast-paced nature of the game continued even after the Hatters’ equaliser, with both teams, especially Argyle, searching for a winning goal – but to no avail.
The result was the Young Pilgrims third 3-3 draw in a row – a scoreline they will be hoping to avoid on Tuesday night in the FA Youth Cup first round against Mangotsfield United at Home Park.
Tickets for that fixture are still available and can be purchased here.
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Argyle: 1 Charlie Pawley, 2 Toby Rider (14 Billy Devlin, 60), 3 Corey Browne, 4 Joel Tolcher, 5 Dylan Williams, 6 Toby MacLean, 7 Tashall Sandhu, 8 Seb Campbell (capt), 9 Frankie Maund, 10 Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff (16 James Sharpe, 60), 11 Harry Locke (15 Marley-Blu Francis, 60). Substitutes: 23 Danny Ley (GK), 12 Toby Tamblyn.
Goals: Campbell 82, Maund 83, Sandhu 84