Skipper discusses controversial play-off moment
Michael Doyle believes that the Blues should have been playing against 10 men for much of their play-off clash with Plymouth.
Pompey’s skipper appeared to be headbutted by Jamille Matt during the opening half of the first leg contest at Fratton Park.
But the striker – who had earlier cancelled out Marc McNulty’s strike – escaped punishment and went on to fire the visitors ahead.
Gary Roberts secured a draw by scoring from the spot following the interval, but Doyle was upset that Matt did not see red.
He said: “The guy got tied up with Danny Hollands and had him leg-locked – he wouldn’t let him go.
“I pulled his leg away and told him to get on with it, but as I walked away he put his head on me.
“The chap’s gone on and scored a second goal when he shouldn’t have even been on the pitch. He’s got away with it.
“We’ve ended up losing our manager from the sidelines because he’s incensed – and rightly so.
“It’s disappointing, but I think the referee said he’ll have a look at the video, so we’ll see what happens.
“It’s all in the hands of other people whether they do something about that, so there’s no point in me commenting on it further.”
Despite that moment of controversy, Doyle enjoyed taking part in such a competitive fixture and is looking forward to Sunday’s second leg.
He said: “It was a great game – a typical match in the play-offs. The fans were amazing, as they have been all season.
“They kept getting behind us and I’m glad we could reward them with a result that keeps us in the tie.
“We asked them to try to raise things even more and that’s one of the best atmosphere’s I’ve played in.
“Marc scored a great goal and it was a shame to then fall behind – we need to be a lot stronger.
“We were really dominant in the second half and the final whistle probably came a bit too quick for us. We wanted to keep going.
“But it’s only half-time and we’ll go to Plymouth looking to play and impose our game on them.”