Sylvain Legwinski's third goal in as many games in the first minute helped the Blues to a 1-1 draw at Plymouth. Jim Magilton's side were rarely at their best and ended with game with 10 men as Fabian Wilnis became the first player to receive three red cards while playing for Town.
Magilton stuck with the side which beat Luton so convincingly on Sunday. Mark Noble was back after a one-match ban but was named on the bench, replacing former Pilgrim Darren Currie in the 16.
The game got off to an explosive start. From Town's very first attack inside the opening minute Simon Walton saw a shot deflect wide. Matt Richards swung in another impressive corner and Sylvain Legwinski arrived in a John Wark-esque manner to nod the ball home, exactly as he did against Luton.
Plymouth immediately went about getting on terms, Shane Supple doing well to beat Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to a ball played over the top.
On three, Paul Wotton slammed a 25-yard freekick off the underside of Supple's crossbar. Fortunately for the Blues the loose ball fell to Jaime Peters.
The home side were very much on top and Jason De Vos did well to block from a well placed Akos Buzsaky. The Hungarian again came close to scoring in the 13th minute, Supple doing well to push his freekick round the post after Simon Walton had handballed. Soon after, De Vos and Alex Bruce were both forced into making blocks inside the area as the Pilgrims dominated.
In the 22nd minute the goal that Plymouth had been threatening to score finally came. Tony Capaldi whipped in one of a succession of corners and Paul Wotton rose highest to head into the net off Dan Harding.
David Norris unsuccessfully tried an audacious 40-yarder in the 29th minute with Supple out of his goal, then a rare Town attack ended with Sylvain Legwinski overhead kicking a corner wide.
Plymouth felt they should have had a penalty in the 41st minute as David Norris went to ground very easily under the attentions of Dan Harding. For once, referee Kevin Friend, rarely a generous official to the Blues, decided in Town's favour.
Alan Lee wasn't so lucky a minute later, Friend issuing the first yellow card of the game for a clash with Argyle defender Mathias Doumbe.
The home side finished the half the stronger with several more corners culminating in Norris putting the ball over the bar after the Blues had failed to clear.
Certainly Argyle's first half on points with Town rarely in it in and often not helped by referee Friend's picky and often bizarre contribution to the game, the official at one stage berating Shane Supple for timewasting at a goalkick, despite the keeper yet not having had the ball returned to him by a ballboy.
The Blues had been second best throughout with too many players looking heavy-legged after Sunday's exploits against the Hatters. Jim Magilton switched Gary Roberts for Jaime Peters at the break, the loanee from Accrington taking up the Canadian's right wing role.
On 50 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake had the ball in the Town net, but the flag had been raised some while earlier for offside.
A minute later Fabian Wilnis found his way into Friend's book for a foul on Tony Capaldi, although not for the first time it appeared the Dutchman had been penalised for a perfectly good tackle.
Town's first chance of the half, and only their second of the game, came in the 53rd minute, Alan Lee hitting a shot into Plymouth keeper Luke McCormick's sidenet. Soon after, Tony Capaldi picked up a yellow card for kicking Lee after referee Friend had already stopped play to award Town a rare freekick.
McCormick did well to save Lee's header from Richards's cross in the 62nd minute, although the referee decided the Irish striker had committed a foul and gave the home side a freekick.
Town had by now switched to a five-man midfield with Roberts on the left and the unusually quiet Clarke on the right. The Blues were still making little headway but in the 66th minute Simon Walton did manage a strike which was blocked by a defender. Shortly afterwards, Dan Harding received his fourth yellow card of the season for a wild challenge on Norris.
On 70 Plymouth sub Cherno Samba's comically theatrical dive failed to impress anyone, then De Vos did well to cut out a dangerous cross from Norris.
There was more referee frustration for Town in the 70th minute when Sylvain Legwinski was booked for what appeared to be a fine challenge on Norris, taking the Frenchman's card total to four.
Mark Noble replaced Dan Harding in the 75th minute, Matt Richards switching to left-back. Soon afterwards, Gary Roberts received another yellow card — his second of the season — for apparently timewasting at a freekick just outside the Plymouth area, although again it seemed a strange decision from the official, particularly as he then proceeded to take up further seconds by forcing the wall to retreat. Roberts looped the freekick well over.
On 77 Fabian Wilnis pulled back Argyle sub Barry Hayles just beyond halfway and was shown his second yellow and then a red card. It was the second time the Dutchman had been sent off against the Pilgrims and his third in total, the other coming at Cardiff last season. Wilnis becomes the first player ever to have been sent off three times while playing for the Blues.
Shane Supple reacted quickly to save sharply to his left after Norris had latched on to a ball over the top. From the corner the ball was half-cleared before being sent back into the box where Hayles's goal-bound effort was blocked on the line by Roberts.
Richard Naylor took over from the clearly shattered Billy Clarke in the 81st minute as the Blues moved to a 3-5-1 formation.
Roberts shot over the bar before the fourth official indicated that six minutes had been added on by the always surprising Mr Friend. Lilian Nalis's shot hit Naylor before looping up into the air straight into the arms of the grateful Shane Supple.
The home side didn't threaten again, but there was just time for one more yellow card, Simon Walton receiving his fifth of the season for his part in a scuffle after he had been tackled late. Walton will miss the Sheffield Wednesday game as a result of reaching five bookings, while the club now face a fine of £10,000 for six players receiving cards in a single game for the second time this season.
Town had defended staunchly after the break but clearly two games in three days had taken their toll and Jim Magilton's side were rarely anything like as impressive as they had been against Luton.
The Blues seldom do well with referee Kevin Friend in charge and once again were on the end of some decidedly below par refereeing and it seemed only a matter of time before they were reduced to 10 men. In his last game featuring the Blues, at Crystal Palace in March, Friend red-carded Ricardo Fuller and disallowed what seemed a perfectly good goal.
But even ignoring the poor refereeing, the Blues were second best for the vast majority of the match and it is a case of a point won rather than two lost.
Town: Supple, Wilnis, Harding (Noble 75), De Vos, Bruce, Walton, Legwinski, Richards, Peters (Roberts 46), Lee, Clarke (Naylor 81). Unused: Haynes, Drobný. Att: 12,210.