Conor Chaplin netted three minutes from time against his old club as the Blues came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Portsmouth. Marlon Pack’s fourth-minute free-kick gave Pompey the lead, but Cameron Burgess’s second of the season levelled seven minutes later. In the second half, Colby Bishop put the home side back in front very much against the run of play on the hour, before Chaplin denied his local side the win with a rebound from close range.
Town named an unchanged side, despite boss Kieran McKenna having said in the lead-up to the match that two players had been unwell prior to the 3-0 Boxing Day home win against Oxford and another seven had subsequently reported symptoms.
Chaplin and Marcus Harness started against their old club but Town’s third former Pompey player Gassan Ahadme travelled but along with Richard Keogh and Kane Vincent-Young wasn’t included in the 18.
Portsmouth, who had also had illness worries, made four changes from the 0-0 draw at Exeter on Monday with Ipswich-born Joe Morrell, Zak Swanson, Josh Koroma and Connor Ogilvie coming into the side for on-loan Blues striker Joe Pigott, who was ineligible, and former Town loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe, Denver Hume and Reeco Hackett, who all dropped to the bench.
The Blues made a scruffy giving the ball away on the edge of their own area before the hosts took the lead in the fourth minute via the game’s first shot.
Skipper Sam Morsy was harshly penalised for a foul on Koroma five yards outside the area and Pack struck a free-kick beyond Christian Walton to his left and into the net off the inside of the post.
Having conceded their first league goal in the opening 15 minutes this season, Town quickly began to dominate play but with Portsmouth looking to give them little time on the ball.
And the Pompey lead lasted only seven minutes. Pack fouled Morsy on the right, Lee Evans whipped over a free-kick from the right and Burgess, for the first time without his mask since undergoing facial surgery, turned the ball into the net from five yards.
Having got back on terms, Town maintained their superiority, however, in the 16th minute goalscorer Burgess was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Owen Dale.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 18th minute when a corner was diverted out to Koroma just outside the area to the left from where the winger struck a shot which Woolfenden cleared from in front of the line.
But Town were still in control and in the 22nd minute Evans struck a powerful shot from 25 yards which home keeper Josh Griffiths did well to save down to his right and hold onto with Freddie Ladapo sniffing around for a rebound having scored in similar circumstances on Monday.
The Blues continued to see most of the ball and on 35 Morsy hit a low effort from distance which Griffiths stopped to his right.
Town maintained their dominance, passing the ball around slickly and at pace and in the 44th minute should have gone in front. After a long spell of possession with Woolfenden having joined in the attack, Burns crossed low from the right and found Ladapo but the former Rotherham man was through his shot as the ball arrived and it looped into the stand.
The half-time whistle sounded with Town still on the ball and looking for another opening from which they might score a second goal, which their display would certainly have deserved.
The Blues had appeared unaffected by Pompey’s early goal and quickly got into their stride and grabbed the equaliser, yet another set-piece goal with Burgess taking his opportunity from an excellent Evans free-kick.
From there, Town dominated and created one or two openings without making Griffiths work too often, while Ladapo will have been disappointed to have snatched at his late chance.
Pompey had had the occasional opportunity but with Walton untested since Pack's goal and the Blues will have left the field confident that if they maintained their level of performance in the second half they ought to claim the three points.
The home side swapped skipper Clark Robinson for Hume ahead of the start of the second period.
Harness scuffed a 48th-minute shot through to Griffiths as the Blues began the half as they had ended the first.
On 55, with Town having completely dominated since the restart, Evans was fouled by his fellow Welshman Morrell 25 yards out but Chaplin’s free-kick hit the wall.
Pompey had hardly had a touch in the second half but on the hour they went back in front. Hume looped a cross from the left to the far post, Sean Raggett nodded it back into the six-yard box and Colby Bishop turned it past Walton.
Town looked to hit back quickly for a second time and two minutes after Bishop’s goal, Harness played in Ladapo on the right of the box but the one-time Colchester youngster shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.
On 63, Chaplin did well to reach a ball on the left and sent over a low ball towards Ladapo, who was just unable to reach it. Moments later, Sone Aluko took over from Harness, then Koroma was switched for Ronan Curtis for Pompey.
In the 68th minute, Chaplin exchanged passes with Ladapo on the edge of the box but Ogilvie stepped across to prevent the former Pompey man from having a free run in on goal.
Three minutes later, Pompey sub Curtis broke away down the right and cut back to Morrell, whose shot, which looked on target, was blocked by Janoi Donacien.
Pompey, who looked to be tiring, made a double change in the 74th minute, Tunnicliffe and Dane Scarlett taking over from Morrell and Bishop.
Town made two switches of personnel of their own two minutes later, Kyle Edwards and Kayden Jackson replacing Burns and Ladapo.
Pack was booked for a trip on Chaplin as the Blues’ subs began to make an impact and reinvigorate a Town display which had lost its impetus. On 81, Greg Leigh took over from Leif Davis following another all-action display from the left-back.
A minute later, Chaplin unleashed a strike from 25 yards only just past Griffiths’s left post, then Leigh sent over a dangerous low ball from the left which Ogilvie did well to slide behind ahead of Jackson and Edwards.
Town kept pressing and probing looking for their second leveller of the evening and in the 87th minute it came.
Following a long spell of possession, Morsy found some space just outside the box and hit a somewhat speculative low shot which Griffiths saved but couldn’t hold onto and Chaplin was first to the loose ball to slam home from close range against his old club, the forward’s 12th goal of the season.
There was no celebration for the Blues, Chaplin quickly taking the ball back to the centre circle with Town looking for a winner. Pompey swapped Swanson for Hackett in the penultimate scheduled minute.
The Blues continued the pressure in five minutes of added-on time but were unable to find a third goal.
Town had largely been well in control of the game and although delighted with the late equaliser, will feel their overall dominance deserved more.
But as in other matches, possession wasn’t turned into chances, while Town’s vulnerability to balls looped into their area was again evident as Bishop put Pompey back in front with the home side’s first attack of the second half.
Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday winning 1-0 and 2-0 at home to respectively Wycombe and Port Vale means the Blues stay second but now four points behind the Pilgrims and ahead of the Owls on goals scored ahead of Monday’s trip to Lincoln City.
Portsmouth: Griffiths, Morrison, Raggett, Robertson (c) (Hume 46), Swanson, Morrell (Tunnicliffe 74), Pack, Ogilvie, Dale, Bishop (Scarlett 74), Koroma (Curtis 66). Unused: Oluwayemi, Hackett, Jacobs.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Edwards 76), Evans, Morsy (c), Davis (Leigh 81), Chaplin, Harness (Aluko 64), Ladapo (Jackson 76). Unused: Hladky, Edmundson, Humphreys. Sam Allison (Wiltshire). Att: 18,849.