ARGYLE put in one of their most dominant displays away from Home Park this season, and still ended up losing at Hillsborough on Saturday.

They controlled this Championship clash for long periods, taking the lead with a goal from striker Rory Fallon in the 23rd minute.

The Pilgrims played better on Saturday than when they won 1-0 away to both Middlesbrough and Cardiff City earlier in the season.

But they still slumped to a potentially costly defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, one of the teams they are hoping to overhaul in the fight against relegation.

So how did Paul Mariner's Pilgrims end up losing?

Firstly, as Mariner admitted, they committed the 'cardinal sin' of conceding a goal almost immediately after taking the lead.

Up until that point, the visitors had been in total command of the match.

But a lapse of concentration defensively allowed Owls' striker Luke Varney to shoot past Argyle's on-loan goalkeeper David Stockdale.

Varney then put the home side ahead three minutes before the break.

The Pilgrims' defence was opened up too easily by one punt forward, and Stockdale was beaten from a tight angle.

It was a fine finish from Varney, but Stockdale will have been disappointed not to make the save.

Then, despite plenty of possession in the second half, Argyle struggled to create any clearcut chances as they were kept at bay by a resolute Owls' defence.

It must have been a very frustrating afternoon for Mariner and assistant head coach John Carver.

There were several plus points to take from the match, such as the performances of Carl Fletcher and Luke Summerfield in the centre of midfield.

But, ultimately, with only three months of the season remaining, all that really matters now is winning.

In that respect, this was a missed opportunity for the Pilgrims – and you could tell the players knew it by their reaction at the final whistle.

Not surprisingly, Mariner named the same starting line-up as he did for the 1-0 defeat of Derby County at Home Park last Tuesday.

Even the seven substitutes were identical as Argyle went in search for another win.

And they made a very positive start, with striker Jamie Mackie, fresh from scoring the decisive goal against Derby, looking lively early on.

He fired narrowly wide from 25 yards in the fourth minute after spinning away from Owls' midfielder Darren Potter.

Goalkeeper Lee Grant might have had Mackie's shot covered, but it was still a sign of the confidence in the Pilgrims' camp.

Soon afterwards, a left-wing cross from midfielder Chris Clark was flicked onto the top of the net by Fallon.

There were more than 22,000 supporters inside Hillsborough but the game was played in near silence as Argyle dominated.

Wednesday did have one chance, when left-back Tommy Spurr sent a header wide of the far post following a corner taken by Potter.

But it was no more than Argyle deserved when they opened the scoring.

They forced a corner after Mackie raced onto a fine pass from Fletcher, and his cut-back was put behind by Owls' midfielder James O'Connor.

Midfielder Alan Judge swung a cross into the six-yard area and Fallon powered home a header.

The ball squeezed between the legs of Wednesday defender Mark Beevers, who was on the line.

It was Fallon's fourth goal of the season, and his first since the 2-1 home win against Doncaster Rovers on November 7.

The ball might have taken a slight touch off Mackie, before nestling in the net, but Fallon is sure to claim the credit.

Argyle had put themselves into a position from which they could build, but instead they conceded an equaliser almost immediately.

Spurr's long throw was flicked on by striker Marcus Tudgay, who beat the much taller Reda Johnson to the ball.

Varney darted in front of Argyle's other centre-back Kari Arnason and sent a low shot past Stockdale.

The Pilgrims tried to respond, with Summerfield sending a curling shot over the crossbar after breaking into the penalty area.

Fletcher and Summerfield were passing the ball tidily, using the full width of the large Hillsborough pitch.

But, despite their enterprising play, they found it difficult to open up the Owls' rearguard.

Arnason launched several long throws into the Wednesday penalty area throughout the contest and the home side defended them superbly.

Argyle's grip on the game further loosened when Varney scored again in the 42nd minute.

Spurr lofted the ball forward from inside his own half and Arnason was beaten to the ball by Tudgay.

Varney then outpaced Johnson as he raced into the penalty area and fired a low shot into the opposite corner of the net.

Argyle must have been totally bemused to find themselves trailing 2-1, having had the better of the play.

It was the same story at the start of the second period.

Wednesday repeatedly gave away possession as Argyle dominated territorially but, crucially, without ever seriously testing keeper Lee Grant.

They did create one decent chance in the 64th minute after an excellent build-up.

Mackie sped into the penalty area and his low cross seemed destined to be tapped into the net by Fallon.

But, out of nowhere, Spurr slid in to make a vital interception and put the ball out for a corner.

That was as close as Argyle came to grabbing an equaliser, despite Mariner making a tactical switch in the 69th minute.

That was when Bradley Wright-Phillips was set on as a substitute for Judge.

Mackie and Wright-Phillips played in wide positions, either side of Fallon, in a 4-3-3 formation.

The aim was to exploit the pace of Mackie and Wright-Phillips and get them running onto flicks from Fallon.

But Wednesday easily coped with the change of tactics, and Mariner later reverted to 4-4-2 for the closing stages of the game.

Stockdale did not have a shot to save in the second half, although Varney went close to completing a hat-trick with a glancing header in the 77th minute.

At the other end of the pitch, Mackie burst into the penalty area, riding a couple of challenges, but could not control his shot and the ball flew well wide.

Winger Craig Noone was an 82nd minute substitute for Summerfield, but the Pilgrims could not draw themselves back onto level terms.