Dagenham and Redbridge were denied a first home win of the season by a 93rd-minute wonder striker, as Youcef Dahmani reports.
Joss Labadie had put the Daggers 1-0 up just before the hour and at long last, the East London side were looking certain to hang on for their first victory at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
However, a glorious effort from Ryan Brunt in the dying seconds meant the points were shared.
It was a case of so near but yet so far for the Daggers as they nearly pulled off a morale-boosting win against the side leading the division before kick off.
Argyle started well. Craig Tanner had an effort from 25 yards out with the ball going high and wide of Mark Cousins’ goal.
Penalty Shout
The first threat from the home side came in the 20th minute. Jodi Jones saw an effort from the edge of the penalty area go just over the upright.
There was a case of deja vu with Jones having another effort from a similar angle. However, this time he worked the keeper with Christian Walton putting his effort out for a corner.
There was a penalty shout as the youngster was challenged by Gary Sawyer just inside the box. However, the claims were waved away by the referee.
The visitors were unable to fully show their class in a Dagenham-dominated first half. Labadie had the final effort of before the break, with a shot which went just wide of the post.
The first chance of the second period fell to Daggers’ veteran Jamie Cureton, with the striker breaking free and smashing an effort straight at the Pilgrims stopper. Walton pushed the ball into captain Curtis Nelson, luckily for the visitors the ball went the right side of the post and out for a corner.
Only a minute later came the breakthrough. Labadie ran onto a hooked ball down the flank from James Dunne. The midfielder neatly slotted the ball past Walton in the Plymouth goal to make it 1-0.
The Daggers came close to extending their lead with only 10 minutes remiaing. Cureton took a heavy touch but managed to recover, putting the ball across the face of the goal, but nobody was on hand to turn the ball in.
After a brilliant one two with Labadie late on, Ashley Hemmings was put through one-on-one with Walton. However, his tame effort was saved and went out for a corner.
Sickening
With time ticking away, the home side looked to have finally secured that home victory. But Plymouth got the equaliser with just 30 seconds left of injury time.
Walton played a long hopeful ball up field. His teammate Carl McHugh ducked out of the way and the ball fell to substitute Brunt, who then turned and hammered the ball in from 30 yards past Cousins.
The result was sickening for the home side, as they dominated on of the league’s best teams for the majority of the 90 minutes.
Dagenham remain one point above the relegation zone, with the visitors knocked off top spot as Oxford beat Hartlepool to move above the Pilgrims on goal difference.
The Daggers play Morecambe away next Tuesday, a result where they will be hoping for a vital three points after previously beating in a FA Cup replay 4-2.
Wayne Burnett told BBC London.
“We should have won as we were the better team today. The players were magnificent.
“We out-worked them, out-fought them and we were better in every department.
“We’ve been undone by a deflected goal, but that’s football and you have to get on with it and you have to pick yourselves up.
“We have to go again because we have a game on Tuesday.”