McNulty desperate to banish Pompey play-off agony against Plymouth

The 28-goal striker will spearhead Coventry’s attack against Exeter on Bank Holiday Monday in the League Two end-of-season showpiece.

Ex-Blues skipper Michael Doyle will also feature for Mark Robins’ men as they bid for an instant return following League One relegation last term.

For McNulty, it’s the opportunity to banish the torment he endured following Pompey’s heart-breaking play-off elimination at Home Park in May 2016.

On that day, Peter Hartley’s stoppage-time header earned Plymouth a dramatic 3-2 aggregate victory over the two-legged semi-final.

It condemned Paul Cook’s side to another year in League Two – and marked McNulty’s final Blues appearance.

The on-loan Scot finished that Pompey spell as the team’s 12-goal top scorer, including the opening goal in the first leg.

Now he’s looking towards Wembley glory with Coventry – driven by lingering Pompey anguish.

McNulty told The News: ‘That was massively disappointing. I can still remember how bad it felt and it spurs you on a little bit.

‘Getting eliminated that day was devastating, one of my lowest points in football, because I loved the club so much and really wanted to do it.

‘It was quiet in that dressing room afterwards, everybody was absolutely gutted, nobody said too much.

‘We were angry, there were so many emotions, it was a difficult time and maybe it spurred them on to win the League Two title.

‘These things happen in football and obviously you have to react to that, but to lose in stoppage-time was devastating.

‘That was my last Pompey game and I loved playing for that club. I wish I had been there for the promotion last season, but to end it that way was gutting.

‘I still speak to people down there, it’s always the first result I look for. I loved the club and my time there was special.

‘It’s the fans, the place, the club, a special place – and a really enjoyable period in my career.’

Loaned to Fratton Park from Sheffield United, McNulty scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 hammering of York City in November 2015. It represented his second Pompey start – and soon he struck up an excellent understanding with fellow loanee Caolan Lavery in a sadly all-too-brief partnership.

Still, Cook’s men finished sixth in League Two to earn a semi-final encounter with Plymouth.

McNulty opened the scoring after three minutes of the first leg – and the Fratton roar still rings in his ears.

He added: ‘People on Twitter still tag me in on that goal, talking about it quite a lot.

‘The reaction to scoring is probably up there among my best moments in football. It was unbelievable.

‘That noise – the hairs stand up on the back of my neck even now when thinking about it.

‘It ended up as a 2-2 draw, on the night the goals we gave away were poor and sloppy. But the noise from the Pompey fans from start to finish was fantastic.’