A first half own goal from Phil Ifil separated the teams at half time and three more Plymouth goals in the second half meant Kevin Lisbie's strike was just a consolation.

Jemaine Easter and Steve Maclean made it 3-0 before Lisbie hit back but Sawyer made the game safe for Plymouth.

With twelve games to go in the U's survival battle, the U's boss Geraint Williams again had changes to his starting line up, only one of which was forced upon him through injury.

Karl Duguid was missing from the squad after taking a knock on his ankle but Kevin Watson and Clive Platt were on the bench after starting the match against Wolves on Saturday.

Also on the bench was rookie Medy Elito, an England U17s international who represented his country at the U17 World Cup in Korea last summer.

The three players coming into the eleven were Bela Balogh, Dean Hammond and Scott Vernon.

While sticking to the 4-4-2 formation that he has employed all season, Williams reshuffled with Johnnie Jackson returning to central midfield after playing left back against Wolves.

Balogh slotted into that left back position and Dean Hammond took Karl Duguid's place on the right of the midfield. It was a straight swap up front though as Scott Vernon replaced Platt as Kevin Lisbie's strike partner.

There were no real selection problems for the Pilgrims' boss Paul Sturrock as he picked the same eleven that lost 3-0 to promotion rivals West Brom on Saturday.

It was only the fact that Plymouth have scored less goals that they weren't in the final play-off place instead of Ipswich Town.

Both teams have the same points and the same goal difference but the Tractor Boys goals scored column gave them the advantage.

The game started with the home side gaining the territorial advantage but two corners and a free kick came to nothing in the first few minutes.

As the clock ticked over to double figures though, Plymouth did breach the U's defence to take the lead with an own goal from Phil Ifil.

Good work down the right led to Teale crossing to the far post and as Ifil shaped to head clear, it looked like Halmosi guided a left foot volley home.

TV replays showed later that the U's defender got the final touch but the Plymouth left winger will certainly be claiming it, despite the press putting it down as an own goal.

It wasn't the start that the U's were hoping for but straight away, they had a chance to equalise but Johnnie Jackson's free kick struck the wall and Plymouth cleared. Jackson was then furthest player forward but just offside before he could find Kevin Lisbie in front of goal.

Teale on the right for Plymouth was causing problems for the U's defence but a second goal was proving elusive, with Easter heading over when well positioned.

It was the U's who had the next opening on thirty six minutes when Scott Vernon shot over the bar. The U's January signing ran from his own half, dummied a couple of defenders but couldn't hit the target with his left foot shot.

A late Jackson shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected straight into McCormick's hands and the half time whistle blew after a Jackson corner was cleared.

There were signs that the U's could claw their way back into the game and Geraint Williams would have been telling his troops to remain positive and go out in the second half with a belief that they could turn things round.

The second half started quietly, with the U's keeping the home side at bay without creating too many chances of their own.

The home side, as they had in the first half, scored as the clock ticked past the ten minute stage of the half as Easter made it 2-0.

An overhead kick in the U's area started the scramble and two or three subsequent shots were blocked before the ball fell to Halmosi on the edge of the box.

His shot was deflected goalwards by Easter and despite Gerken's best efforts, the ball dribbled over the line to double Plymouth's lead.

And threee minutes later, it went from bad to worse as striker Steve Maclean added a third with a well worked free kick.

Phil Ifil fouled Halmosi a couple of yards outside the area and Maclean struck the free kick past Gerken's left hand to make it 3-0.

In a frenetic spell, Kevin Lisbie reduced the arrears with a smart finish after latching onto a through ball into the Plymouth half.

After slipping the ball one side of the defender and running round the other side of him, Lisbie curled a right foot effort past McCormick.

It was a clever finish with the outside of his foot and Lisbie himself retrieved the ball from the back of the net as the U's hoped to get back into the game.

As Lisbie was running through to score, two U's substitutes were waiting by the halfway line to enter the fray and the goal didn't chance the manager's mind and Clive Platt and izale McLeod came on.
Kevin McLeod and Scott Vernon were replaced and it was the former MK Dons McLeod who had the next chance.

He had only been on the pitch for a minute when he latched onto a Lisbie cross from the left to shoot goalwards.

Unfortunately, a Plymouth defender was on hand to block the shot for a corner and the set piece came to nothing. The goal and this chance might have given the U's faithful at Home Park hope but it was dashed by a fourth goal for Plymouth two minutes later.

Twenty two minutes were on the clock when the game went away from the U's as full back sawyer sprang forward to score his side's fourth and final goal.

A cross to the far post found Sawyer and his effort was already over the line when a U's defender could only hit a clearance into the inside netting of Dean Gerken's goal.

It could have been worse for the U's with twenty minutes remaining but Easter's ferocious shot whistled past the post. Worse was to follow almost immediately after this chance but it was nothing to do with the scoreline.

Izale McLeod chased down the ball deep into Plymouth's half and after outpacing his marker, got to the ball first but was fouled before he could get onto the loose ball.

The Charlton loanee didn't get to his feet and the U's physio Tony Flynn was called to treat McLeod.

It was a good five minutes before Flynn allowed the striker to be placed on the stretcher and it didn't look too good for the former MK Dons hitman.

Young England U17s international Medy Elito came on for his U's debut but couldn't make an impact as Plymouth had the better of the last fifteen minutes.

They looked in control without really threatening Gerken's goal any further and ran out comfortable winners as the referee blew the final whistle after six minutes of injury time.

It was a big blow for the U's, especially as Preston scored a late winner in their game but there are still thirty three points to play for. It is going to be an uphill battle but three points at Selhurst Park on Saturday will hopefully kick start the U's revival.

U's: Gerken, Balogh, Coyne, Virgo, Ifil, McLeod K(McLeod I 64,(Elito 75)), Izzet, Jackson, Hammond, Vernon(Platt 64), Lisbie.