Harry Souttar was at the centre of the action as Fleetwood Town fought back to earn a point away to Portsmouth, as the centre-back made up for his own goal by scoring the equaliser to see the game end 2-2.

Joey Barton’s men travelled to Fratton Park looking to continue their impressive run in the league and consolidate their place in the League One play-offs with 12 games left to play.

They faced a Pompey side in a very similar position in the table, flirting with the idea of automatic promotion but not doing enough at the moment to put serious pressure on the top two.

The away side got off to a great start as they came out on the front foot on the South Coast and they were rewarded as Barrie McKay latched onto a Ched Evans cut-back to bundle home at the second time of asking.

Sean Raggett equalised for the hosts before Harry Souttar’s own goal handed Pompey the lead. The Australian international made amends for his error by providing Fleetwood with a leveller just seven minutes later seeing honours even at full-time.

The draw for the Cod Army leaves them in fifth place on 60 points, only behind Portsmouth on goal difference.

Here, we take a look at three things we learnt about Barton’s side in their 2-2 draw on the South Coast…

A good point could have been more

Not many teams have gone to Fratton Park this season and earned a draw but Fleetwood were great value for their 2-2 draw and might feel like they could have got more from the game.

Having taken the lead through Barrie McKay, the visitors came inches away from doubling their lead as Cameron McGeehan’s headed clearance flew narrowly past the far post following a great delivery from McKay.

There weren’t many chances on the night but Fleetwood certainly had the better of them as the final moments of the first half saw Josh Morris’s free-kick cannon off the post.

While a draw away to a promotion rival is a definite positive, they could have taken all three with more luck.

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Barrie McKay looks like a shrewd signing

Having joined on-loan in January from Swansea City, it might have been surprising to some to see McKay plying his trade in League One after showing some promise for the Championship outfit, but Fleetwood have taken advantage well to bring him in.

He has made eight appearances for the Cod Army this season and he took his goal tally to two after he opened his account against Sunderland three games back. 

Along with two goals, he’s registered two assists and is looking like being a major part of what Barton is looking for in the final third, with most chances on the night coming through him.

A good marker for the run-in

Travelling away to Portsmouth gave Fleetwood another chance to assess their promotion credentials and they made another big step by coming out of the clash as the happier side, following a draw and a great performance that should have yielded more.

With 11 games left in the campaign, it’s still all to play for with Fleetwood still have slim hopes of automatic promotion, but definitely cementing themselves as play-off contenders.

A point against Portsmouth should provide them with a platform to keep their exceptional unbeaten run going, but they to make this point a valuable one, they need to go to Gillingham and look for maximum points next time out.