Substitute Jordan Obita scored with his first touch on his debut as Pompey claimed a dramatic point in an entertaining clash at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.
Despite their problems off the field, Appleton's men remain unbeaten in the league following their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Appleton said: "We need an absolute minimum of three players to be competitive. If I can bring all three of them in before the weekend, that would be fantastic.
"If they can contribute anywhere near the players have done here, we'll be fine. I'm not sure how we've not managed to get three points.
"We got a lot of young players in wide areas and we did that really well. We have a lot of quality on the pitch and on the bench."
