Confident Carl

Their second-half comeback to earn a 1-1 home draw with Sky Bet League 2 leaders Burton Albion on Good Friday has given them a spring in their step for the senior service showdown with Portsmouth.

Carl McHugh, who capped the Pilgrims’ strong finish to the Burton game with an 86th-minute headed equaliser, said: “There is going to be a big crowd at Fratton Park on a Bank Holiday. It’s a brilliant game for us and we’re all looking forward to it.

“It’s good to go there on a positive now, and I think it is a massive positive that we did get a big, big point.”

The Friday-Monday fixture double is a holiday take on the normal Saturday-Tuesday routine but that bothers Carl less than the fact that Portsmouth might be seeking payback for the 3-0 defeat at Home Park earlier this season.

He said: “I love playing games one after another. You don’t train much – you’re just out there, playing games. We know how to prepare ourselves.

“We’re going there now in good shape but it will be tough – they will be looking for revenge for what we did to them here, but we will go there and try to win the game.”