ALEX Gorrin revealed he leapt at the chance to score his first Oxford United goal as he secured a draw at Portsmouth.

The midfielder dispatched a second-half penalty on the south coast to open his U’s account in his 53rd appearance.

It saw United claim a valuable draw against fourth-placed Pompey, who had gone ahead in the first half through Sean Raggett.

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Regular penalty-takers James Henry, Anthony Forde and Matty Taylor were all off the pitch when Dan Agyei was felled by Jack Whatmough in the box with 20 minutes left.

It meant the spot-kick was up for grabs and Gorrin took responsibility.

“The gaffer probably didn’t want me to take it,” he said.

“My position means I don’t normally get as close to the goal.

“Today was an opportunity, so I stepped up to the plate and put it away.”

The Sky Bet League One fixture was a re-run of last season’s play-off semi-final, with the draw meaning the sides’ last five encounters have all ended level.

It looked like United were in for a long night when Raggett headed home after 19 minutes, before the hosts spurned several chances.

But the U’s dug deep and Gorrin felt they got what they deserved.

He said: “They’re on a brilliant run, so a point away is a good result.

“We fought and that’s what we were about last season.

“We need to get back to that – we can play well, but playing well doesn’t give you points.”

Karl Robinson was delighted with the 27-year-old’s overall performance, but admitted he was surprised to see the Spaniard take responsibility from the spot.

The U’s boss said: “He was exceptional – you’d go into battle with him every single day.

“Jamo (James Henry) backed him all the way because he believed. The young man deserves that.”