John Mousinho's Portsmouth warning after again leaving it too late as Plymouth strengthen promotion hopes

The Blues deservedly found themselves trailing 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining against promoting-hunting Plymouth at a packed Home Park.

However, substitute Reeco Hackett’s left-footed finish following a Paddy Lane corner reduced the deficit to set up an improbable fightback from the Blues.

With Plymouth hanging on, they put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time, Ryan Hardie making it 3-1 on the counter-attack.

Pompey’s previous defeat under Mousinho – at Peterborough – ended in a 2-1 loss despite another excellent Hackett cameo when trailing by two goals.

And Mousinho wants them to rise to the occasion a lot earlier in matches.

The head coach told The News: ‘For the last 20 minutes we were on top. We decided we were going to have a go, spring in our step and front foot, and very nearly nicked it in the end.

‘The pressure was building and building and building, particularly towards the away end, we had set-piece after set-piece and unfortunately just couldn’t turn the screw and score the goal we needed.

‘It’s really pleasing we don’t go under, but the message again in the changing room is let's not wait until we go 2-0 down to show up.

‘Let’s not wait until the pressure is slightly off so we can get on the front foot – and all of a sudden you get the first goal and I fancy us to go and get the second.

‘Part of it is mentality, in terms of going 2-0 down, having nothing to lose. Part of it was the substitutions which came on and made a difference, which was really pleasing.

‘And then the way Plymouth played, very high intensity, they are up and at you, and maybe we just looked a bit better going into the last 20 minutes of the game.

‘But we can’t make mistakes that put us 2-0 down at that point, we have got to make sure that, if we’re going into the last 20 minutes of the game, and on top then it's 0-0 – and, if we do get a goal, it’s the winner.’

Sam Cosgrove and Finn Azaz put the Pilgrims 2-0 up after 68 minutes to suggest it was game over.

And Mousinho was most disappointed in his team’s showing for the opening 20 minutes of the second half when the hosts were well on top.

He added: ‘Unfortunately, in terms of the performance, we probably lost the game from the 45th-65th minute, where Plymouth were the better side.

‘They were on top of us, they broke on us well, Josh kept us in the game.

‘Then the performance again swung the other way. It was a bit of an up-and-down game.’