Argyle 0

Doncaster Rovers 3
Spicer 15, Hayter 33, Heffernan 71

ARGYLE'S agony will go into the final two games of the Championship season after their three-match unbeaten run came to an end in their penultimate home encounter.

A season-long inability to get into games after conceding the opening goal proved their downfall once again as, for the 18th time, they lost a match in which the opposition scored first.

That goal came after just 15 minutes from John Spicer, with a second after 33 minutes by substitute James Hayter and a second-half strike from Paul Heffernan ensuring the points for Doncaster.

Whether or not the Greens are relegated could still be decided by the results of others, but their fate remains in their own hands, with two or three points from next week's trip to QPR and the subsequent visit of similarly troubled Barnsley to Home Park required.

Argyle manager Paul Sturrock - who had spent the week warning against the complacency that appeared to be at least partly responsible for the defeat - had stayed faithful to the starting line-up that has done sterling duty since the international break.

It might have been the same 11, but it did not look much like the same players that had won at Blackpool, thrashed Coventry 4-0 at Home Park seven days earlier, and drawn 1-1 at second-placed Birmingham City on Easter Monday, especially in the first half.

There was one change to the Pilgrims' squad, on the substitutes' bench, where striker George Donnelly was called up to replace Rudi Doulala, surely the first time in football history that a former Skelmersdale United striker has replaced a current Cameroon international.

Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll dropped to the bench three of the players who had started in Rovers' 2-0 home defeat by Preston North End five days' earlier: Dutch centre-back Jos van Nieuwstadt and forwards Lewis Guy and Hayter.

Into their places came Sam Hird, Heffernan and Spicer, while Darren Byfield was promoted to the bench.

With the visitors setting up defensively, there was no repeat of the blistering opening of seven days previously, although Argyle fashioned enough set-pieces around the Doncaster penalty area that served notice of some intent.

The nearest they came to troubling veteran Donny goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, was when a neat passing move ended with Karl Duguid spooning a volley over the crossbar.

Doncaster had not come just to defend, though, and stole the lead after a smash and grab raid on the Pilgrims' goal.

Captain Richie Wellens sent Heffernan galloping away in freedom down the left flank, and with time and space in hand, he was able to pick out Spicer, arriving on the edge of the Argyle box with perfect timing to crash home an unstoppable right-foot drive.

Argyle had previously gone behind in 18 previous Championship matches. Out of those 18 games, they had scrabbled just one point, thanks to Steve MacLean's late equaliser against Queens Park Rangers before Christmas - comfortably the worst record in the division.

They not only had to turn around the score now, they had to turn around what Luggy is fond of calling their 'psyche' - an infinitely more difficult prospect.

The goal naturally gave Doncaster a lift that even the loss of Mark Wilson through an early injury could not knock back and Argyle struggled to get a toe-hold in the game.

The Pilgrims' task was made even harder just after the half-hour, when some decidedly iffy defending down the Argyle left again saw full-back Gareth Roberts cross for Hayter to head home in front of a disbelieving Devonport end.

An immediate riposte was required, and one came from a Paul Gallagher free-kick, but Sullivan, who had performed heroically at the Keepmoat earlier in the season to deny Gallagher, produced another magnificent save to keep out Marcel Seip's close-range header.

Apart from that brief moment of hope, Argyle looked a pale shadow of the team that, a week earlier, had led Coventry 4-0 by half-time.

They did stoke it up towards the interval, with some honest endeavour producing a series of penalty-box incursions, the last of which ended with Gary Sawyer lifting the ball over from an acute angle.

A similar 45 minutes to the previous home game was required after the break if Argyle were to kill off their season in their penultimate home match.

The Pilgrims made a decent start to the second half, but still had the look of a team that was yet to click into place. Chris Barker's header from another Gallagher free-kick was illustrative of the not-quite nature of the afternoon, it being too comfortable to truly worry Sullivan.

A speculative long-range overhead kick from Mackie was likewise lacking the magic sparkle needed to transform the game.

Donnelly was sent on for some Macheda-type magic with 25 minutes left to make a mark, and Rory Fallon followed soon afterwards - a move which Doncaster countered by sending on a third centre-back in the considerable form of van Nieuwstadt - but, by the time Fallon came on, Doncaster were three up and cruising.

The goal emanated down the Argyle left, with James Chambers able to pick out Heffernan, who, not unlike his team-mates in the first half, had too much time to turn and shoot home.

Rick Cowdery

Argyle (4-4-2): 1 Romain Larrieu; 33 David Gray, 19 Marcel Seip, 15 Chris Barker, 18 Gary Sawyer; 23 Alan Judge (14 Rory Fallon 71), 2 Karl Duguid (capt), 28 Carl Fletcher, 11 Paul Gallagher (, 6 Chris Clark 79); 24 Ashley Barnes (35 George Donnelly 65), 25 Jamie Mackie. Substitutes (not used): 5 Krisztián Timár, 27 Lloyd Saxton (gk).

Doncaster Rovers (4-4-2): 1 Neil Sullivan; 6 James Chambers, 5 Matthew Mills, 21 Sam Hird, 3 Gareth Roberts; 20 John Spicer, 15 Mark Wilson (12 James Hayter 21), 19 Richie Wellens (9 Darren Byfield 78), 17 Martin Woods; 14 Paul Heffernan, 16 Dean Shiels (4 Jos van Nieuwstadt 68). Substitutes (not used): 7 Lewis Guy, 27 Kazenga LuaLua.

Booked: Spicer 60.

Referee: Phil Crossley (Kent).

Attendance: 11,100 (497 away).