Sub Conor Chaplin netted twice in the second half to see Town to a 2-0 win away against previously unbeaten Accrington Stanley and back to the top of League One. The Blues, who have won their first four away games at the start of a season for the first time in their history, went in front in the 76th minute of a hard-fought encounter when Chaplin turned home a Lee Evans corner on the volley, then the forward added the second with a deflected strike three minutes from the end.
Town started all three of their former Accrington players, Kayden Jackson, Janoi Donacien and Cameron Burgess.
Jackson was the lone central striker with Tyreece John-Jules and Marcus Harness behind him.
Skipper Sam Morsy and Lee Evans were at the centre of the midfield, while Leif Davis and Wes Burns were the wing-backs.
Donacien and Burgess were either side of Luke Woolfenden in the back three with Christian Walton in goal.
Deadline-day signing Gassan Ahadme we on the bench but as expected Panutche Camara we not included in the 18 having been sidelined with a groin injury in the opening weeks of Plymouth’s season.
Conor Chaplin was included among the subs despite having suffered a minor groin niggle in the warm-up ahead of the 6-0 Papa Johns Trophy thrashing of Northampton on Tuesday.
Richard Keogh was on the bench for a league game for the first time, having made his debut against the Cobblers, but there was no place for George Edmundson.
Accrington make one change from the team which drew 0-0 at home to Exeter in the league last week with Korede Adedoyin dropping to the bench and Matt Lowe taking over.
The home side had the better of the opening minutes but on five Davis fed Jackson in space on the left. The striker’s initial cross was blocked and the ball ran out to the corner quadrant without going out of play. Jackson paused briefly with plenty believing the ball had gone out before crossing low into the six-yard box but a defender cleared.
Morsy hit a shot through to Stanley keeper Lukas Jensen moments later, then Harness was dispossessed as he looked to take the ball into the area, the Blues’ press having forced an error from the Lancastrian side.
On nine, Stanley skipper Sean McConville struck a low shot through to Walton in the Town goal.
A minute later, Harvey Rodgers was found in space on the right of the Town area but Walton batted away his shot, the best chance of the half up to that point with the Blues struggling to get their football going against Accrington’s usual determined physical approach.
Woolfenden was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 14th minute for a foul on Lowe 40 yards out.
The resultant free-kick taken by Ethan Hamilton, who played for Blues boss Kieran McKenna in the academy at Manchester United, deflected off the wall and wide for a corner, which was played short to Joe Pritchard, who hit a cross-shot which Walton was forced to tip over from under his bar.
Davis was shown the game’s second yellow card for a foul on halfway in the 20th minute with the Blues still to impose themselves on the game and play much football in the Stanley half.
However, on 24, Evans sent in a dangerous ball from the right following a swift break from Donacien and Burns and Mitch Clark headed behind from the edge of the six-yard box.
From the short corner on the right, the ball was played to Evans, who sent over another cross, which Burgess headed towards goal, however, it struck a defender and looped over.
Town went even closer from the subsequent flag-kick on the left, a loose ball falling to Davis at the far post from where the former Leeds man hit an effort against the woodwork with the keeper perhaps getting a touch.
Morsy blazed over on 27 after a Burns ball in from the right had deflected to him on the edge of the box. The captain knew it was a good chance and exchanged a rueful laugh with the home fans behind the goal.
Town had got themselves well on top after a slow start and on 32 John-Jules played in Burns on the right of the box from where he lifted it over keeper Jensen but Doug Tharme nodded it behind from inside the six-yard area.
In the final scheduled minute, with Accrington starting to see more of the ball, a poor Burns clearance fell to Pritchard 30 yards out but the midfielder’s shot flew over the roofless stand housing the Town support.
Seconds before the whistle, Evans sent in a free-kick from the left which keeper Jensen claimed having initially tried a cleverer effort which had played Davis in on the left of the box but too quickly for referee Anthony Backhouse’s liking.
After a slow start, the Blues had got themselves well on top and creating opportunities with the best Morsy’s shot and Davis’s effort off the post.
Accrington, who had started well before coming more into it again just before the break, had had their moments, but with Town so far dealing with their long throws into the box with Burgess nodding most clear.
The home side made a change ahead of the second half with Adedoyin replacing Pritchard.
Then, eight minutes later, with Town having seen most of the ball since the break but without creating a chance, the sub was swapped for Josh Woods having contributed nothing other than two fouls on Woolfenden having appeared to pull a hamstring.
On 56 Tommy Leigh was booked for a foul on Harness just beyond the halfway line.
Within a minute, Jackson had space to run into the right channel with Jensen well off his line. The ex-Stanley man hit a shot across the keeper but the ball hit the Dane’s heels and flew wide.
It was the first real chance of the second half and one the Blues would have hoped to have taken.
In the 61st minute, Town switched Jackson and John-Jules for Freddie Ladapo and Chaplin.
Five minutes later, Morsy brought the ball through a number of players towards the edge of the box before being dispossessed, illegally according to the Town captain. The ball ran loose to Burns, who curled a shot wide with the outside of his boot, off a defender, according to the referee who awarded the first of two corners.
From the second of the flag-kicks, the ball eventually fell to Ladapo at a tight angle on the left from where the sub chipped a cross for Evans, who nodded goalwards but Jensen claimed to his right.
On 72 Burns was booked for a foul on Harvey Rodgers, a card which the referee seemed to award simply for the ferocity of some of the Accrington protests.
Three minutes later, a long Donacien throw down the right to Ladapo led to the striker cutting across the edge of the area to Chaplin, whose shot referee Backhouse claimed had caught a defender on the way over.
And from the corner, the Blues went in front. Evans sent the ball over and found Chaplin completely unmarked and the sub slammed a volley into the net to claim his fourth goal of the season.
Town went looking for a second with Accrington affording them more space as they went chasing an equaliser. On 79 Tharme was booked for a foul on Morsy, before Ladapo was unable to find a teammate in the centre from a cross from the right with the keeper out of his ground.
The Blues replaced Davis, who had been a big influence down the left, for Greg Leigh with nine minutes remaining, new signing Ahadme having warmed up prior to the goal but now returned to his seat.
With five minutes remaining Hamilton was booked for a nasty-looking challenge on Evans, who had had a bruising afternoon, midway inside the Town half. Referee Backhouse really ought to have clamped down on a number earlier challenges.
Three minutes before the end, Town doubled their lead and sealed the victory with Chaplin again the scorer.
The former Pompey man took the ball to Ryan Astley’s left on the edge of the box before hitting a shot which deflected - perhaps off a teammate - past Jensen to his right and into the corner of the net, taking Chaplin to five for the season alongside Harness.
Having established their two-goal lead, the Blues handed Ahadme his debut for Harness and Dominic Ball his Town league debut for Burns. The ex-QPR man was on the right of the back three with Donacien moving forward.
The Blues saw out the final minutes to secure another important victory in an away fixture in which they have struggled since dropping into League One.
But this year, so far, Town have been equal to challenges which have been beyond them in previous seasons, finding a way of grabbing the vital first goal while restricting the opposition to very little at the other end with Burgess playing an important role in repelling their aerial threat.
The result sees the Blues return to the top of the table ahead of Portsmouth on goal difference with Cambridge, who are fifth, at Portman Road next Saturday.
Accrington: Jensen, Clark, Hamilton (Sloane 90), Astley, Coyle, T Leigh, Lowe (Whalley 79), Pritchard (Adedoyin 46 (Woods 53)), McConville (c), Rodgers, Tharme. Unused: Savin, Sangare, Conneely.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Ball 89), Evans, Morsy (c), Davis (G Leigh 81), Harness (Ahadme 90), John-Jules (Chaplin 61), Jackson (Ladapo 61). Unused: Hladky, Keogh. Referee: Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria). Att: 3,069 (1,098).