Scarr's Portsmouth Reaction

To look at Dan Scarr in the minutes after Argyle’s match at Portsmouth, you may have assumed The Pilgrims had lost the game.

Instead, Argyle had fought out yet another 2-2 draw with Portsmouth, the fourth in the last five games between the sides, and the third in succession at Fratton Park.

It was the circumstances that were clearly still on Scarr’s mind. In a repeat of last season, Argyle turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, but a Portsmouth equaliser four minutes into injury time meant The Greens would head west with only a point.

It was a point that for a while had seemed unlikely and comes against a team that remain unbeaten this season. Dan accepts that the proverbial dust settles, the point may appear more palatable.

“It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” he said. “We would probably take a point before the game, but it doesn’t feel good right now. It feels like a loss at the moment. I’m just a bit gutted and deflated.

“We’ll regroup tomorrow and see it as a good point. It is a point in the right direction, and they are a good side.

“You enjoy coming to places like this and against teams like that. You want to play against the best players because that tests you and gets the best out of you. All of our lads defend well and enjoy doing it. I think that shows.”

Steven Schumacher made several changes early in the second half, to the team’s shape an personnel, and it inspired Argyle on to turn the game around.

Scarr echoed the thoughts of his manager in citing the belief and resilience of the group to help salvage something from the game, as well as praising the travelling Green Army in Fratton Park’s sold-out away end.

“We weren’t exactly playing our best football, but we were still getting chances,” said Scarr. “That gave us confidence going in at half-time; even though we were 1-0 down we were still in the game. We regrouped at half-time, got the game plan together and got the goal. We could have taken the draw, but we kicked on again and I think that shows the true character we have in the dressing room.

“The team is full of confidence. We’ve played Peterborough, Barnsley, we were behind at Derby and came back. To go behind at a place like this and then go in front shows the true character and togetherness we’ve got with this group. The subs have got good firepower, we can change shape, we are in a good place and just need to regroup after today and get going again.

“When you go 1-0 down at a place like this the crowd can swallow you up. [The Green Army] backed us the whole way. They drove us and gave us an adrenaline boost to push on and go in front. Credit to them for travelling all that way. They are unbelievable every time.”