A rotated Argyle Under-18s side were held to a 3-3 draw by Bristol Rovers in the Youth Alliance League Cup, despite taking the lead on three separate occasions.
The Young Pilgrims made a bright start and went ahead when Harry Locke’s dangerous ball was turned into the Rovers net by keeper Alexander Berger.
Charlie Ball levelled the score before James Sharpe gave Argyle a 2-1 advantage that was then cancelled out by substitute Kazim Salahi-Ali.
Locke made it 3-2 with a superb solo effort, but the Greens were once again pinned back by Salahi-Ali who produced a left-footed strike into the top corner to ensure the points were shared.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry made six changes to the side that faced Northampton Town on Saturday, with Tom Armytage, Toby MacLean, Tashall Sandhu, Seb Campbell, Frankie Maund and Billy Devlin all left at home for the trip to Bristol. Under-16 players Charlie Pawley, Toby Tamblyn, Max Moser and Alfie Vosper came into the starting 11, alongside Under-18 regulars Locke and Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff.
This meant a back four of Toby Rider, Dylan Williams, Tamblyn and Corey Browne started ahead of goalkeeper Pawley. Locke, Moser, Joel Tolcher and Vosper occupied midfield leaving Sharpe and Boudarga-Wischhoff up front.
Argyle’s positive start was rewarded in the eighth minute when Tolcher’s short free kick found Locke, who created a crossing opportunity. The winger’s whipped ball struck the back post, before bouncing into the net off the Rovers keeper.
Vosper came close to doubling the advantage 19 minutes in, firing over from inside the six-yard box after meeting Locke’s deflected cross. Moments later, Rider was denied a spectacular goal when his powerful right-footed effort crashed against the woodwork.
The missed opportunities proved costly as Rovers equalised in the 23rd minute. Al-Amin Odumboni broke in behind the Argyle defence before driving a low cross across the face of goal, allowing Ball a simple finish at the back post.
Argyle responded well and regained their lead before the break. Sharpe’s initial half-volley was deflected onto the crossbar, but the forward reacted quickest to head home the rebound and restore Argyle’s advantage.
Lowry’s side continued to look the more threatening after the interval and appeared more likely to score next.
But that changed in the 55th minute, following Salahi-Ali’s introduction to the game.
Just three minutes after being substituted on, the forward found the back of the net with a clinical finish following Leo Kelleher’s cross.
Argyle showed their own attacking quality to respond once more. Locke picked the ball up in central midfield and drove towards goal before unleashing a superb curling effort into the bottom-left corner to put the Greens back in front.
However, there was another twist in the 63rd minute, as Salahi-Ali completed his brace. The forward got in the way of Pawley’s kick, with the deflection falling to Ciaran O’Donnell, who returned the ball to his teammate to finish and make it 3-3.
Argyle continued to put pressure on the Rovers defence, but the task of taking the lead for a fourth time proved too much, leaving the Greens to settle for a point.
The draw leaves Argyle with one point from their opening three YAL Cup fixtures, with a final group-stage meeting against Watford still to come.
Argyle: 1 Charlie Pawley, 2 Toby Rider, 3 Corey Browne, 4 Joel Tolcher, 5 Dylan Williams, 6 Toby Tamblyn (15 Tyler Pike, 84), 7 Harry Locke, 8 Max Moser (14 Rufus Hodgetts, 90+1), 9 Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff, 10 James Sharpe (capt) (12 Joshua Poole, 77), 11 Alfie Vosper.
Goals: Berger (og) 8, Sharpe 36, Locke 60.