Fabian Wilnis saw red for the fourth time in his Town career and for the third time against Plymouth as the Blues drew 1-1 at Home Park. Alan Lee put Town in front in the second minute, but the Pilgrims hit back through a controversial Sylvan Ebanks-Blake penalty late on.
Jim Magilton fielded a side unchanged apart from George O'Callaghan replacing Gary Roberts, with Owen Garvan moving to wide on the left. Plymouth boss Ian Holloway wasn't at the game, having been taken to hospital as a precaution earlier in the day.
The game started in heavy rain which had rarely stopped all morning. As against Sheffield Wednesday a week ago, the Blues were ahead inside two minutes. Jon Walters sent in a cross and Alan Lee rose above everyone to nod past keeper Romain Larrieu.
Chances were rare as both sides found fluent football difficult in the sodden conditions, but Lee might have added a second after a Garvan cross was missed by several Plymouth defenders but flew past narrowly in front of the Town striker.
The home side's first chance was a Akos Buzsaky freekick wide on the left, but the ball was already behind before Mathias Kouo-Doumbe could head into the sidenetting.
A piece of Pablo Couñago trickery sent Garvan through on goal on the left of the area in the 22nd minute, but Larrieu was out quickly to save well, although the Irish youngster will have felt he should have scored.
Referee Kevin Friend, who took control of the same fixture last year sending off Fabian Wilnis and booking eight others, six from Town, got his cards out for the first time in the 26th minute, showing Alex Bruce a yellow for what appeared to be a challenge from which he had won the ball.
Plymouth ought to have been back on terms in the 31st minute but an unmarked Marcel Seip could only head a freekick from the right wide of the post. Soon after, Tommy Miller joined Bruce in Mr Friend's book for a foul, although one no worse than several from Plymouth players which had received only a ticking off from the official.
Couñago shot wide from 25 yards, then Buzsaky's strike inched narrowly past the post after Dan Harding had only managed to clear a Rory Fallon cross to the edge of the box. In injury time, Bruce blocked a Buzsaky shot, then Fallon headed the resulting corner well over.
The Blues went in at the break deservedly in front, Lee having taken his goal - his fourth of the season — clinically, but with both teams having missed one other decent opportunity.
Town fans and players had become increasingly frustrated with referee Mr Friend who, as in the same game last season, seemed to book Town players for relatively minor infringements, while merely having a quiet word with Plymouth players for similar or more serious matters.
Chances continued to be rarities after half-time, although the rain had stopped by the time the players re-emerged.
Town came close to a second goal in the 54th minute when, with Lee running back from an offside position, Couñago chased a through ball and took it past Larrieu before a defender got back to squeeze it out for a corner. From the set-piece, the ball avoided everyone and the unsighted Lee failed to react to the loose ball at the far post.
Buzsaky hit a freekick into the sidenetting, then Alexander saved Fallon's low shot after a loose ball had fallen to the former Swansea man inside the area after another set piece.
Just after the hour, Jason De Vos headed a Garvan corner powerfully goalwards, but too close to Larrieu. As the Pilgrims broke, the already booked Bruce was adjudged to have fouled Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, referee Friend for once choosing not to show a card.
On 68 the Blues swapped Bruce for Fabian Wilnis as a precautionary measure given the card happy attitude of the official. Bruce was clearly unimpressed with the decision and had words with Bryan Klug on the bench, Jim Magilton once again watching the game from the stand.
Three minutes after coming on, Wilnis was off after a wild two-footed lunge on David Norris inside the centre circle. Referee Friend had little option but to send the Dutchman for an early bath as he did in the same game last season.
Wilnis has now been given his marching orders while playing for Town for a record fourth time — no one else has received more than two red cards for the Blues — with three of them bizarrely coming against the Pilgrims.
Owen Garvan moved into a three-man defence with Jason De Vos on one side and Dan Harding on the other. Alan Lee was a lone striker with Couñago on the left and the again excellent Walters on the right.
After the sending off, Town, who were already in sitting back on a lead mode, now went into full retreat. The impressive Alexander saved Buzsaky's freekick and was then out quickly to clear ahead of Ebanks-Blake.
On 76 Alan Lee broke into the Plymouth area and laid the ball across the six-yard box, but no Town player was within 15 yards of him. Gary Roberts replaced Pablo Couñago on the left.
Neil Alexander received the first yellow card of his Town career — and the Blues' fourth of the match plus Wilnis's red — for dissent after a corner was surprisingly awarded by Mr Friend.
Alexander saved from Norris, prior to Danny Haynes taking over from Alan Lee, Walters switching inside from the right with the England U19 international taking over the wide role.
Town weren't looking in too much danger of conceding until the 83rd minute when referee Friend gave a perhaps inevitable penalty. David Wright and Peter Hamosi tangled as the ball came in from the right and Halmosi, while appearing to have hold of Wright's shirt, went to ground. The Town players protested at length but to no avail. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake took the kick and Neil Alexander was beaten from the spot for the seventh time in five days.
Plymouth went after a winner, but aside from an injury time Buzsaky effort, Alexander had little to do. Several Town players, including an irate David Wright, surrounded the referee at the final whistle.
At the end of the day, a point at Plymouth is a decent result, although the Blues will feel they deserved more from a game surreally similar to the same fixture last season, which also ended 1-1 after the Blues took an early lead. Again referee Friend appeared determined to book Town players at every turn and red-carded Fabian Wilnis, although on this occasion the Dutchman deserved to go.
The game's flow wasn't helped by the official's fussiness or the wet conditions, but Town managed one or two slick moves, more so in the first half with the second much more of a rearguard action.
Not the vintage display of last week's win against Sheffield Wednesday or the dismal effort at Milton Keynes on Tuesday, but a generally solid away performance — something which was rare last season — in circumstances which were trying for several reasons.
Town: Alexander, Wright, Harding, De Vos, Bruce (Wilnis 68), O'Callaghan, Miller, Garvan, Walters, Lee (Haynes 82), Couñago (Roberts 76). Unused: Supple, Legwinski. Att: 13,260.
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