Ten-man Argyle fell to defeat against Lincoln City in Sky Bet League One.
Despite making the better start, Argyle fell behind early in the game, Tom Bayliss hitting the back of the net.
Imps’ forward James Collins netted a second-half brace to give his side the advantage, prompting an attempted comeback from the Greens led by goalscorers Owen Oseni and Xavier Amaechi.
Brendan Wiredu was sent off late, for a second bookable offence after going down in the box, but Argyle continued to push for the equaliser, to no avail.
Tom Cleverley made one change to the side that lost away at Bolton last weekend.
It was Brendan for Brendan, with Wiredu taking the place of Galloway after an impressive performance and goal midweek against QPR in the Carabao Cup.
With that change, it meant that it was Luca Ashby-Hammond in goal, with Wiredu and Victor Palsson ahead of him in central-defence.
Kornel Szucs shifted out to right-back, and Matty Sorinola took Galloway’s vacated position at left-back.
The midfield trio of Bradley Ibrahim, Malachi Boateng, and Caleb Watts retained their places, Amaechi and Bali Mumba supporting them out wide.
Bim Pepple was the preferred option to lead the line, making it back-to-back starts in the league for the 22-year-old.
Bayliss scored for Lincoln with their first real attack of the game, five minutes in. George Wickens’ lumped clearance was headed away by Palsson, but only as far as the deep-lying midfielder who curled an effort into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area, beyond the outstretched glove of Ashby-Hammond.
The Imps came close to doubling their lead midway through the first-half; fortunately for the Greens, Ashby-Hammond was equal to Collins’ point-blank header.
The Pilgrims showed moments of promise on the ball, a silky passage of play involving Amaechi, Watts, and Szucs saw the Greens advance up the pitch, the latter unable to test Wickens with an effort on goal.
Ashby-Hammond was called into action again when Hackett fired an effort low and hard at his near post from an acute angle, a solid stop from the Greens keeper.
Mumba looked one of Argyle’s most threatening outlets in the first-half, his marauding run from left to centre forged a chance for Amaechi, whose marker had left him free.
The number ten could not get the ball out from beneath his feet, firing his shot straight at Wickens when it looked likely that he would hit the back of the net.
Cleverley’s side were in the ascendancy as the game reached the interval, Lincoln will have been relieved to hear the referee signal the break, Argyle wanting to keep playing in search of a leveller.
Wanting to shore up the defence and keep the pressure on the hosts, Galloway and Caleb Roberts replaced Palsson and the yellow-carded Ibrahim at half-time.
The chances continued to follow. Wiredu spread the ball wide to Amaechi, who drove infield and took fire from range, his effort narrowly clearing the crossbar.
Further reinforcements came in the form of Tegan Finn and midweek goalscorer Oseni; they took the places of Pepple and Watts. Finn took up his usual position on the right flank, Amaechi moved infield to play as an attacking-midfielder.
But it would be Lincoln who found the elusive goal, once again with their first real effort of the half.
Hackett stood a cross up to the far-post, which Rob Street guided goalwards with a header. It was well parried by Ashby-Hammond, but only as far as Collins, who seemingly had an eternity to poke to ball across the vacant goalline to make it two-nil.
Before Argyle could gather themselves after the Imps’ initial knockdown, Skubala’s side had landed the knockout blow.
Lincoln were awarded a penalty after Wiredu was penalised for handball. Freddie Draper’s scuffed shot caught everybody out besides Street; he lifted the ball across goal to Hackett at the far-post.
The winger looked destined to head the ball into the back of the net if it was not for a scuffle with Wiredu, who was adjudged to have handled the ball in his attempts to deny Hackett.
Referee Carl Brook did not hesitate and pointed to the spot, veteran striker Collins made no mistake from 12-yards, sending Ashby-Hammond the wrong way and firing into the bottom-right corner to make it three.
The Pilgrims were not going to go down without a fight, Oseni continued his goalscoring form, providing Argyle a lifeline with just over ten minutes left to play.
Finn picked the ball up in the centre of the pitch and threaded it through two red shirts to Amaechi. The playmaker looked up and found Oseni who was advancing on goal, a clever piece of footwork dismissed Tom Hamer, allowing the striker to calmly roll the ball past Wickens.
Buoyed by the goal, Cleverley’s side looked rejuvenated and immediately got back on the attack in search of another.
They found it two minutes later from a corner. Amaechi took it short to Mumba, who returned it to the taker. He advanced in-field and thundered a curled effort through the crowd of bodies in the box, and beyond Wickens in goal.
With the Pilgrims now just a goal behind, Ayman Benarous was Cleverley’s final roll of the dice, bringing him on in the place of Sorinola.
The chaotic nature of this game did not let up. Wiredu received the ball inside the Lincoln penalty area and skipped away from Sonny Bradley’s initial challenge, but looked to be felled by Ethan Hamilton’s attempt at the ball.
The whistle blew, and with every supporter of both persuasions inside the LNER Stadium probably holding their breath, the referee awarded a free-kick to the hosts for simulation.
Wiredu, who was already on a booking for an off-the-ball incident at an earlier corner, was shown yellow once more, the red card shortly following.
Despite this, Argyle kept battling, Boateng dropped deep alongside Galloway to construct a makeshift back four alongside Benarous and Szucs.
Late pressure ensued in search of an equaliser, Benarous’ scuffed shot nearly caught out Wickens at the near-post, the keeper managed to tip the ball around the post to deny the Pilgrims at the death.
For all their efforts, Cleverley’s side were unable to find a third goal, falling to a third consecutive defeat in Sky Bet League One.
Tuesday night’s visit of Leyton Orient offers an immediate chance for the Greens to get off the mark this season.
Lincoln: 1 George Wickens, 2 Tendayi Darikwa (capt), 6 Ryley Towler, 7 Reeco Hackett (12 Erik Ring, 73), 8 Tom Bayliss, 9 James Collins (18 Ben House, 67), 14 Conor McGrandles, 15 Sonny Bradley, 17 Rob Street, 22 Tom Hamer, 34 Freddie Draper (11 Ethan Hamilton, 73). Substitutes: 13 Zach Jeacock, 36 Zane Okoro, 37 Gbolahan Okewoye, 42 Charlie Carlisle.
Goals: Bayliss 6, Collins 59, Collins 65
Booked: Towler 10, Draper 70, Street 74, House 75, Darikwa 90, Hamilton 90+5
Argyle: 21 Luca Ashby-Hammond, 4 Brendan Wiredu, 6 Kornel Szucs, 10 Xavier Amaechi, 11 Bali Mumba, 17 Caleb Watts (39 Tegan Finn, 57), 19 Malachi Boateng, 23 Bradley Ibrahim (24 Caleb Roberts, 46), 27 Bim Pepple(18 Owen Oseni, 57), 29 Matty Sorinola (14 Ayman Benarous, 83), 44 Victor Palsson (capt) (22 Brendan Galloway, 46). Substitutes: 13 Zak Baker (gk), 38 Joe Hatch.
Goals: Oseni 78, Amaechi 80
Booked: Ibrahim 23, Watts 54, Wiredu 74, Galloway 90+3
Sent-off: Wiredu 87
Referee: Carl Brook
