Stoppage-time pain for Portsmouth as Charlton Athletic rescue point in Fratton drama

Connor McGrandles’ stoppage-time header denied Pompey victory against Charlton.

McGrandles pegged back the Blues in the 2-2 draw in a clash in which wasted chances and two poor goals meant John Mousinho’s side had to settle for a draw.

Will Norris will not want to see those efforts back as he was twice beaten at the near post in the second half.

Abu Kamara lit up a dramatic see-saw encounter with a sumptuous 20-yard volley, which was cancelled out by Alfie May in the 71st minute.

The impressive Paddy Lane was then taken out by Ashley Maynard-Brewer with 15 minutes left to see the lead restored before the late drama.

It means the visitors’ run of seven successive wins at Fratton Park is at an end, with that sequence spanning 18 years.

Yet Pompey will feel it should have been more as their lead at the top was cut to a single point.

The home side were quick out of the blocks with an early Alex Roberston thump pushed away by Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Will Norris then got an important touch on angled Alfie May drive which was goalbound in the 18th minute.

Joe Rafferty then had to clear Tyreece Campbell’s deflected cutback which was goalbound a couple of minutes later.

The game was lit up in spectacular style in the 31st minute, however, when a corner was cleared as far as Kamara 20 yards out who thumped home his spectacular 20-yard drive past the helpless Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Pompey’s tails were up after the goal with Colby Bishop’s strike deflected wide before Sean Raggett’s back post header was saved by Maynard Brewer.

May’s angled volley shortly after restart was just the right side of the post from Pompey’s point of view as Charlton started brightly.

Pompey then turned up the temperature on the home side as the volume went up at Fratton.

And it was somehow not 2-0 in the 64th minute as Mousinho’s men twice hit the woodwork in the space of seconds.

First a clever hit from Kamara was pushed on to the bar by Maynard-Brewer with the same outcome from Bishop’s follow-up.

That miss looked to be costly as Alfie May levelled things up in the 71st minute as his angled drive beat Will Norris at the near post.

Their lead lasted four minutes, however, as Lane sped through and was taken out by Maynard-Brewer with Bishop sending the keeper the wrong way from the spot.

Bishop then passed up a chance for a killer third as he took a touch from Robertson’s cross which allowed Hector to block his close-range effort.

And McGrandles then stepped up with his late intervention three minutes into stoppage time.