Argyle 1
Sawyer 67

Crystal Palace 3
Danns 20
Lee 27
Oster 43

ARGYLE'S fragile confidence took another battering as they crashed to a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

The visitors wrecked a positive start to the game from the Pilgrims with an incisive 20-minute spell in the first-half that produced goals for Neil Danns, Alan Lee and John Oster.

Manager Paul Sturrock had promised a more attacking approach from his team after the 3-0 home defeat to Derby County ten days ago but defensive deficiencies were to prove Argyle's undoing, although Gary Sawyer raised a brief Green smile with his late consolation.

Luggy made five changes to his personnel from Saturday's 2-0 loss at Charlton Athletic and an even more dramatic tweak in terms of formation and approach.

Captain Karl Duguid returned from his one-game stint at right-back to a three-man midfield, alongside Alan Judge and the recalled Jim Paterson.

Craig Cathcart was the surprise choice in a right-back position, which this season, has already been filled by Duguid, Chris Clark, David McNamee, David Gray and Mat Doumbe.

The shuffling across of Cathcart allowed Doumbe to start in his favoured centre-back role for the first time since the August defeat to Swansea, and he was partnering Hungarian Krisztián Timár for the first time in over a year. The defensive tinkering was completed by Sawyer being preferred to Chris Barker at left-back.

Luggy made further adjustments in the forward department, as the Pilgrims sought to end a depressing run of just one league goal in 2009. Rory Fallon and Steve MacLean came in to form a three-man attack with the irrepressible Jamie Mackie.

As a consequence of the changes, Luke Summerfield, Chris Clark and Paul Gallagher all dropped to a bench that also included Craig Noone and Ashley Barnes. Chris Barker and Simon Walton were the unlucky men left out of the 16.

The recent turmoil that has besieged Argyle was in stark contrast to the frustrated impotence Neil Warnock and his Eagles have suffered.

It had been 17 days since Crystal Palace played a competitive game, due to a string of postponements from bad weather and the FA Cup schedule, leaving Warnock plenty of time to fester over a 1-0 home defeat to Blackpool.

The loss on January 31 was the fourth in a row for Warnock's side and the former Argyle manager has since added defender Claude Davis, on a one-month loan from Derby County, to his squad, and the Jamaican lined-up for his Palace debut at Home Park.

The 17-day break clearly had no effect on Warnock's memory, as he made five changes to his team, two of them in defence. Along with the inclusion of Davis at centre-back, youngster Nathanial Clyne came in at full-back at the expense of Danny Butterfield. Lee Hills was also relegated to bench duty, with Clint Hill shifting across to left-back

Suspended Australian Nick Carle came out of central midfield to be replaced by Danns and Paul Ifill was selected on the wing, as Warnock opted for a 4-4-2 formation, instead of the three-man attack deployed against Blackpool.

The change in formation meant a sacrifice was needed in attack. Shefki Kuqi and Victor Moses, therefore, dropped to the bench, with young Sean Scannell given his chance alongside Lee. Loan signing from Arsenal, Rui Fonte, was left out of the squad altogether.

Argyle needed a fast start and they got one with two early set-pieces testing Argentinean goalkeeper Julian Speroni, and then a swift break down the left channel forcing Davis into a vital challenge on Mackie just five minutes into his Palace career.

Early signs continued to be positive for the Pilgrims with MacLean looking comfortable playing in the 'hole' behind Fallon and Mackie, although the boggy Home Park surface was not exactly helping his intelligent linkage.

It was the sort of playing conditions former Green hero David Norris would have enjoyed, but initial indications suggest young Judge, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, possesses similar all-action attributes to his predecessor.

The height of Lee was always going to test Argyle's defence and he nipped in front of Cathcart on 17 minutes to nod the ball into the path of Oster but, mercifully, the former Reading winger delayed his shot long enough for Sawyer to rescue the situation.

Unfortunately, Argyle failed to heed the warning and Danns punished the Greens with the opening goal from a deep cross by Oster.

Crucially, the young midfielder had the run on the stationary Cathcart, and he was able to rise high enough to steer his header back across Romain Larrieu and into the far corner.

The nightmare scenario of conceding the first goal had once again struck Argyle and Luggy's men now needed to do something they have not managed since the opening day of last season - come from behind to win a game.

The excitement of going ahead seemed to grip the Eagles and they plunged practically everyone forward for the next set-piece, which, after being scrambled clear by the Greens, gave Judge and MacLean a two-on-one situation.

Captain Shaun Derry was the man left exposed but he did very well to thwart Maclean's attempted return pass to the rampaging Judge, and Palace escaped.

It proved a pivotal moments within minutes, as Lee doubled Palace's lead with a disputed goal. Scannell fired in a low drive from distance that cannoned back off the post for Lee to slide home with ease.

Argyle looked to the assistant referee for a flag that would never arrive and having looked fragile in the wake of the first goal, the Greens were now teetering on the precipice, in every sense.

The lack of confidence in this Argyle team was painfully evident to everyone inside Home Park and it was going to take a monumental - emphasis on the mental - effort for the Pilgrims to find a way back into this game.

The nightmare got worse two minutes before half-time, and it all came from an Argyle corner. Paterson's inswinger was headed clear from underneath the Palace crossbar and the ball was quickly switched out to Scannell on the left.

The young striker glanced up before delivering a fantastic cross-field pass that found the run of Oster, who surged forward a few paces before guiding a low shot past Larrieu and inside the near post.

Duguid had an immediate chance to restore a faint glimmer of hope for the Greens but his stabbed effort from the edge of the box flew narrowly over.

Luggy has delivered countless half-time team-talks in his long and distinguished managerial career - this was clearly one of the most important.

Whatever was said, Luggy decided to stick with the same 11, entrusting them with the massive task of salvaging some pride, for themselves, for the Green Army, for their manager.

Argyle started the second period with the required urgency but it was Palace who continued to pose the greater threat, and Larrieu needed to watch Scannell's 20-yard drive closely before plucking it out of the sky.

The Greens desperately needed a slice of luck but even that was in short supply when MacLean's follow-up effort from a tame free-kick into the wall was clearly blocked by the hands of José Fonte in the box - nothing given.

Tempers then flared as Mackie lunged in on Speroni. The Argentine was brave enough to make the save among the bootlaces and Davis took particular exception to the challenge, lashing an unnecessary, and unpunished, kick at Mackie.

Luggy's first roll of the substitution dice was to introduce Noone for MacLean in a bid to ruffle some feathers in the Eagles' defence. Noone was soon joined in the arena by Gallagher and Barnes, with Judge and Fallon making way.

The manager had played his hand - it was now down to the players he has shown faith in to repay him.

The long-awaited first home goal of 2009 finally arrived from the most unexpected source. Gallagher showed great skill on the right to wriggle free and dink the ball across for Duguid.

Captain Karl had the awareness to shift his body and back-heel for the onrushing Sawyer to slam into the roof of the net from 15 yards. Suddenly, the Green Army roar carried hope and the Pilgrims had belief in their boots.

Warnock tried to take the sting out of Argyle's resurgence by making two substitutions but Doumbe came within a whisker of thwarting the wily old campaigner, when his header from a Noone free-kick crept agonisingly wide.

Argyle were awarded a free-kick in a central position, 25-yards from goal and you felt it was the last chance to salvage an unlikely point, but Gallagher's driven shot failed to make it past the Palace wall.

The Greens continued to surge forward in the closing minutes and their endeavour was admirable, but the game was lost in a 20-minute first-half spell.

Argyle (4-3-3): 1 Romain Larrieu; 22 Craig Cathcart, 5 Krisztián Timár, 13 Mathias kouo-Doumbe, 18 Gary Sawyer; 23 Alan Judge (24 Ashley Barnes 65), 2 Karl Duguid (capt), 3 Jim Paterson; 9 Steve MacLean (17 Craig Noone 61), 14 Rory Fallon (11 Paul Gallagher 65), 25 Jamie Mackie.
Substitutes (not used): 6 Chris Clark, 20 Luke Summerfield.

Booked: MacLean 57

Crystal Palace (4-4-2): 1 Julian Speroni; 43 Nathan Clyne, 6 José Fonte, 25 Claude Davis, Clint Hill; 26 John Oster (20 Danny Butterfield 80), 4 Shaun Derry (capt), 16 Neil Danns, 23 Paul Ifill; 9 Alan Lee (32 Shefki Kuqi 71), 14 Sean Scannell (15 Lee Hills 71).
Substitutes (not used): 2 Matt Lawrence, 11 Victor Moses.

Booked:

Referee: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire)

Attendance: 10,710 (546 away).