Town’s winless run stretched to 14 games after a 1-1 draw at Plymouth Argyle. The home side went in front through Carl Fletcher in the 20th minute, but the Blues hit back through Jon Stead, while Pilgrims defender Darcy Blake was sent off for a two-footed tackle late on.
Jon Walters recovered from his ankle injury sufficiently to start, while Jack Colback replaced Liam Trotter and Jaime Peters took over from Lee Martin. Richard Wright, Damien Delaney and Colin Healy returned to the 18 and were on the bench. Former Town and Plymouth striker Paul Mariner took his place on the Home Park bench for the first time since joining the Pilgrims as a coach.
In swirling, windy conditions, Gareth McAuley picked up an early yellow card for a foul on Rory Fallon. The resultant freekick hit the wall and fell to Jamie Mackie, who took the ball past a couple of defenders and saw a shot from close range hit the outside of the post after catching a Town boot on the way through.
After that scare, that the Blues had the better of the early stages, Couñago flicked a Liam Rosenior across wide, then shot straight at the keeper. Grant Leadbitter went wide, then saw his volley well saved by Plymouth keeper Romain Larrieu. At the other end, Jim Paterson shot well wide.
Town were the better side, but as so often they conceded a goal from a rare opposition attack. The ball was played back to Carl Fletcher on the edge of the area and his low shot caught the inside of the post and nestled at the back of the net.
Alex Bruce replaced Gareth McAuley on 23, the Northern Irishman limping off with a leg injury.
Asmir Begovic made a fine save from Fallon in the 26th minute but the linesman’s flag had already been raised. A minute later Pablo Couñago had the ball in the Plymouth net, but again a linesman had already utilised his flag.
Begovic sent Carlos Edwards away on the right on 29, the Trinidadian setting up Leadbitter for a shot which Larrieu saved well.
Town had lost the impetus after the goal and the home side might have added a second in the 37th minute when Fletcher forced Begovic into another good save, sub Cillian Sheridan, who had just replaced Fallon, somehow scraped the rebound wide but when offside.
The Blues had started promisingly but seemed to lose their way after letting in the goal with central midfielders Leadbitter and Colback still chasing back when Fletcher struck his shot.
Alan Quinn replaced Liam Rosenior at the break, the Irishman going to left midfield, Jaime Peters to left-back and David Wright to right-back.
There was an early second half scare for the Blues when Mackie chased a bouncing, wind-assisted ball through the Town backline, Begovic punching clear before berating his defenders.
A Fletcher shot deflected wide on 50 as the second half started much as the second had ended. Six minutes later, Pablo Couñago was replaced with Jon Stead.
Tommy Smith headed Edwards’s cross over, then Walters was played through on goal by Peters but lost the ball as he cut inside a defender and the chance was gone. An earlier strike might have been more productive.
Despite Walters’s opportunity, the Blues weren’t really looking like getting back into the game but on 66 they were gifted an equaliser. Plymouth’s Gary Sawyer played a disastrous backpass towards Larrieu but gave Stead the time to intercept, take the ball past the keeper and slip it into the net.
Plymouth appeared rocked by the goal in much the same way the Blues had been earlier in the game. On 70 Alan Quinn ought to have put his side in front when Walters and Stead combined on the right, Walters finding the Irish midfielder unmarked on the left but he scuffed his shot and Darcy Blake cleared off the line.
Begovic saved from Paterson, then Larrieu stopped a Stead effort at the other end, the Edwards shot over. On 82 Shane Lowry was yellow-carded for a rugby tackle on Stead.
A minute later, the home side were reduced to 10 men when sub Darcy Blake flew in two-footed on Quinn, referee Simon Hooper having no alternative but to show a straight red card.
Town might have been awarded a penalty when Walters was pulled back by the shorts off the ball but referee Hooper failed to spot the incident. Walters’s shorts were so damaged in the incident that they needed to be changed, the striker doing so on the touchline much the amusement of the crowd.
The Blues huffed and puffed and had a lot of the ball but couldn’t create a clear cut chance in the closing minutes, aside from a low Leadbitter shot past the post. It was the home side who went closest to grabbing a winner, Begovic doing superbly to get down to his right to save from Alan Judge.
A draw was probably the right result from a game in which the Blues weren’t up to the standard they set on Tuesday, the early spell of pressure aside. Again, the Blues failed to take chances and looked toothless throughout, despite getting a lot of the ball in and around the box. In the period between the goals the Blues were disjointed and directionless and looked very much a side without a win in 14.
Defensively, there were more than a few scary moments with the decision to replace Trotter with Colback perhaps leaving the midfield a bit more open.
Quinn should have taken his chance to win the match but the ball appeared to hit a divot as he connected and he scuffed his effort, but Plymouth will feel Judge might have won the game for them in injury time but for once Town avoided conceding late on.
A third draw in a row but that win remains as elusive as ever with Derby County the next opponents at Portman Road next Saturday.
Town: Begovic, Rosenior (Quinn 46), D Wright, McAuley (Bruce 23), Leadbitter, Colback, Edwards, Peters, Couñago (Stead 56), Walters. Unused: R Wright, Trotter, Delaney and Healy.
Attendance: 10,875.