Argyle settled for a point against Stevenage on New Years Day, coming from behind at The Lamex Stadium.
Luther James-Wildin found the opener in the 53rd minute, before the Greens levelled the game 15 minutes later, through Malachi Boateng.
Tom Cleverley opted to make three changes to the side that drew against Wycombe Wanderers at Home Park on Monday night.
Julio Pleguezuelo was left out of the travelling squad and was replaced by Mathias Ross in the heart of defence.
Wide-midfielder Xavier Amaechi was withdrawn, making way for Joe Ralls, who made his return to the starting XI following a one-match suspension.
Following his injury a few days previous, Owen Oseni missed out; Bim Pepple made his first start since late October, fresh from scoring the equaliser on Monday night.
There was a place on the bench for the returning Brendan Galloway, who had been away at AFCON with Zimbabwe. Caleb Watts was also named among the replacements, his first squad involvement since the mid-September win at Luton Town.
This meant that it was Conor Hazard in goal, with Joe Edwards at right-back, and Matty Sorinola at left-back. In the centre of defence, Ross partnered Alex Mitchell to complete the back four.
Ralls and Brendan Wiredu held down the centre of midfield, and were flanked by Boateng on the right and Bali Mumba on the left.
League One joint top-scorer Lorent Tolaj was supported by Pepple, the pair leading the line on the afternoon.
Neither team were really able to establish control of the game early in proceedings, the result of this was a fairly scrappy contest, largely played in and around the centre circle.
At times, the hosts threatened to create effective passing moves, but on every occasion, the Greens’ backline worked effectively to stay compact and regain possession.
Jamie Reid’s swivelled volley inside the box, which never really looked to danger Hazard’s goal, was probably the best chance within the opening 20 minutes.
The workrate of Argyle’s out-of-possession front three, Tolaj, Pepple, and Boateng, made it tricky for Stevenage’s defenders to do anything other than pass the ball between one another for large periods.
Chances did come for the Pilgrims, Ralls’ free-kick curled into the six-yard box and was met by Ross, his header glanced just wide, a moment that would have had the hosts concerned.
This was followed minutes later by Ralls’ curled effort being well blocked by a Stevenage defender in a crowded six-yard box.
The closest the Greens came in the first period involved Ralls again. He collected the ball on the edge of the area after a few passes were exchanged between Sorinola and Mumba following a short corner.
The midfielder took aim, his shot deflected and crashed off the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of Boro goalkeeper Filip Marschall.
Argyle Head Coach Cleverley will have been largely content with his side’s efforts in the first half. Despite having less of the ball, the Greens used it far more effectively and showed in moments that they possessed the quality to break Stevenage down.
Despite this, it was the hosts that scored the game’s opening goal, just minutes into the second period. Phoenix Patterson, Boro’s biggest threat, skipped away from Boateng on the left flank and curled an exceptional ball towards the back post where James-Wildin was waiting.
Neither Sorinola nor Mumba could make a decisive intervention to deny the defender the chance to convert the bouncing ball, making it one-nil.
The early goal gave the hosts a boost, and they continued to push on in search of a second goal that seemed likely to seal the result.
The response from Cleverley was to make two attacking substitutions, Amaechi and Watts for Mumba and Wiredu. Kornel Szucs also came on, taking skipper Edwards’ place at right-back.
These changes looked impeccably timed when minutes later Watts collected the ball after a mistake from Harvey White inside the Stevenage box. The returning forward darted away from Dan Sweeney and stabbed a ball back across goal,away from the onrushing Dan Phillips.
Boateng had advanced well and was in the perfect position to just pass the ball beyond the outstretched Marschall in goal, levelling the game.
Watts continued to inspire the shift in momentum after his introduction, dragging Argyle back into a game they looked seemingly out of.
Stevenage manager Alex Revell responded with a triple change of his own, which helped the hosts regain some of the control that they had temporarily lost in the aftermath of the Pilgrims’ goal.
One of those replacements, Chem Campbell, combined well with White and came close to creating a chance that would have breached Hazard’s goal; fortunately for the Greens, it bounced narrowly wide.
As the game meandered towards its conclusion, both sides were continuing to push on in search of a winner, neither set of players content with just a point.
This resulted in a similar, scrappy situation that we saw at the beginning of the match. Neither team were able to build any momentum or create any significant chances of note.
In the end, both Argyle and Stevenage could not find the decisive moment, defences coming out on top as the referee Richard Eley blew his whistle to indicate full-time at The Lamex Stadium.
Cleverley’s side will be looking to turn consecutive score draws into a win when they face Burton Albion at Home Park this coming Sunday.
Stevenage: 1 Filip Marschall, 2 Luther James-Wildin, 4 Jordan Houghton (11 Jordan Roberts, 74), 5 Carl Piergianni (capt), 6 Dan Sweeney, 8 Daniel Phillips, 16 Lewis Freestone, 18 Harvey White, 19 Jamie Reid (22 Jake Young, 74 1(7 Jasper Pattenden, 90+3)), 24 Jovan Malcolm (10 Dan Kemp, 58), 44 Phoenix Patterson (20 Chem Campbell, 74). Substitutes: 13 Taye Ashby-Hammond (gk), 14 Saxon Early.
Goals: James-Wildin 53
Booked: Reid 64, Campbell 90+2
Argyle: 1 Conor Hazard, 2 Mathias Ross, 4 Brendan Wiredu (17 Caleb Watts,67), 8 Joe Edwards (capt) (6 Kornel Szucs, 67), 9 Lorent Tolaj, 11 Bali Mumba(10 Xavier Amaechi, 67), 15 Alex Mitchell, 19 Malachi Boateng, 27 Bim Pepple, 29 Matty Sorinola, 32 Joe Ralls. Substitutes: 21 Luca Ashby-Hammond (gk), 20 Law McCabe, 22 Brendan Galloway, 39 Tegan Finn.
Goals: Boateng 68
Booked: Sorinola 90+4
Referee: Richard Eley
Attendance: 5,042 (1,363 away)
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