Darren Way’s Plymouth Argyle Under-18s side gained a useful point from their 1-1 midweek draw at Portsmouth which leaves them three points behind EFL Youth Alliance League leaders AFC Bournemouth with a game in hand, writes Mike Sampson.

Portsmouth is not one of Argyle’s happier hunting grounds and they had already lost 2-0 to their hosts in the Alliance League Cup.

The first half began with both sides going for goal and Pompey were the first to show and only a great challenge by skipper Oscar Halls preserved the status quo.

Argyle responded with Keiran Edworthy twice denied by last-ditch challenges, and it was the visitors who were pushing hard in the dying minutes of the half, but Freddie Issaka’s effort easily cleared the home crossbar.

The visitors enjoyed a strong start to the second period against physical opponents and were rewarded with the opening goal on 53 minutes.

Issaka turned sharply in the area but his shot came back off the bar for Caleb Roberts to respond the quickest and his head found the back of the net, despite the frantic efforts of the home defenders.

Argyle came close to a second goal when Roberts  laid on a chance for Edworthy, but the home goalkeeper made a great save to keep out his low drive.

Unfortunately, Pompey were level on 69 minutes but back came Argyle with Issaka denied by the busy Pompey ‘keeper.

The final quarter saw both sides going for the win with the action flowing from one end to the other, but the nearest either side came to scoring was in stoppage time when Jack Endacott’s long throw-in caused havoc in the home defence who finally cleared the danger.

Argyle: Zak Baker, Lewis Colwell, Cole Gibbings, Finley Wilkes, Oscar Halls (c), Jack Matthews, Caleb Roberts, Will Jenkins-Davies, Keiran Edworthy (Henry Donovan 72), Freddie Issaka, Jack Endacott. Substitutes not used: Cole Fisher, Jack Flower (gk), Jensen Ireland.