SCORING late, important goals is becoming a habit for relegation-threatened Argyle.

For the third successive match at Home Park, the Pilgrims finished strongly against a team with aspirations of promotion.

Argyle had trailed 2-0 at half-time to Paul Sturrock’s Southend United on Saturday.

Despite a much improved display after the interval, there seemed no way back into the contest for them.

That was until striker Nick Chadwick scored with a fierce 20-yard shot in the 86th minute.

All of a sudden, that gave the Pilgrims renewed hope of salvaging at least a point, and they duly did so.

Substitute Alex MacDonald, the new loan signing from Burnley, celebrated his debut with an 88th-minute equaliser.

It remained 2-2 until full-time and, although the game ended in a draw, the late drama made it feel like a win for Argyle.

It had been the same a fortnight earlier, when the Pilgrims took on Crawley Town.

The title-chasing visitors led 1-0 until the 90th minute, when defender Maxime Blanchard put Argyle on level terms.

And there was also a late twist to Argyle’s home game prior to that one, when they played Burton Albion.

On that occasion, captain Simon Walton scored from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to clinch a 2-1 victory.

So, for sheer tenacity in the face of adversity, Argyle deserve a lot of credit.

But if they are to avoid relegation from the Football League, they must stop getting themselves into losing positions.

Only three months of the season remain, and the Pilgrims must start winning regularly.

They have had creditable draws against two of the top teams in the division – Crawley and Southend, especially considering the circumstances they have been achieved in.

But draws are not going to be enough to save Argyle from the dreaded drop.

Pilgrims boss Carl Fletcher captured two new loan signings last week, and both were included in the squad against Southend.

Juvhel Tsoumou, the striker on loan from Preston North End, made the starting line-up.

And when he was taken off in the 70th minute he was replaced by the other new recruit, MacDonald, who made a dramatic impact.

Tsoumou for first-year apprentice Matt Lecointe was the only change to the team from the 1-0 defeat at Port Vale the previous Saturday.

Southend were coming off a 4-1 home drubbing by Swindon Town last Tuesday, and took the lead only 59 seconds after kick-off.

On a pitch soaked by heavy rain, midfielder Luke Young passed the ball back into his own penalty area.

It lacked sufficient pace to reach goalkeeper Jake Cole, who dashed out to deal with it.

However, Cole smacked the ball against Southend midfielder Michael Timlin and it ricocheted into the empty net.

It was the worst possible start for Argyle and they did not recover from it before half-time.

Southend, as you would expect from a team managed by former Pilgrims boss Paul Sturrock, got the ball forward early at every opportunity.

And, as the conditions were so tricky on a bitterly cold afternoon, those tactics were spot on.

Southend forced a series of corners, as well as free-kicks around the Argyle penalty area, and were totally dominant.

The Pilgrims, as they did against Port Vale, defended far too deep and the service to their strikers was almost non-existent.

Southend’s dominance was rewarded when they doubled their lead in the 34th minute with a goal from winger David Martin.

A corner from Ryan Hall was flicked on and Chadwick could not stop it from reaching Blues striker Liam Dickinson.

He tried a shot which ended up at the feet of Martin, about six yards out, and he stabbed the ball high into the net.

It stayed 2-0 until half-time, with Argyle managing only one shot on target – a 25-yard free-kick from Tsoumou which was easily dealt with by Southend keeper Glenn Morris.

Yet, after a few, presumably strong, words from manager Carl Fletcher at the break, the Pilgrims were a different team at the start of the second period.

They pushed further up the pitch, especially in midfield, and got talented on-loan Wolves winger Ashley Hemmings into the action at last.

Hemmings went past Southend right-back Sean Clohessy in the 48th minute and had a fierce shot parried away by Morris.

Chadwick then had a header saved low on his line by the United keeper after Hemmings had chipped the ball into the six-yard area.

Hemmings also had a 20-yard free-kick charged down by Southend’s former Argyle left-back Peter Gilbert in the 58th minute.

The home fans in an attendance of 6,328, found their voices as the Pilgrims fought to get back into the game.

Fletcher made a double substitution in the 66th minute, when Conor Hourihane and Joe Lennox took over from Walton and Young, respectively.

Soon afterwards, midfielder Paul Wotton saw his powerful shot spilled by Morris but no-one could get to the loose ball before the keeper did.

MacDonald was a 70th-minute substitute for Tsoumou, who had battled away without making too much impact against a strong Southend defence.

His pace and movement made a difference for Argyle as he started to stretch the visitors’ rearguard.

However, Southend had a chance to take a 3-0 lead – and wrap up the match – in the 82nd minute.

Midfielder Bilel Mohsni was picked out with a cross to the far post and his header was clawed away from goal by Cole.

That proved to be a crucial save as Argyle reduced their arrears four minutes later.

MacDonald tapped the ball back to Chadwick and from 20 yards his swerving shot hit one of the outstretched hands of Morris and deflected into the net.

Argyle then equalised two minutes later, when MacDonald was in the right spot at the right time.

Lennox teed up Chadwick, whose shot beat the dive of Morris but hit the inside of the left post.

The ball rebounded back across the face of goal and MacDonald was there to tuck it away into the net.

What a way for the Scotland under-21 international to start his loan spell with the Pilgrims.

There could have been even more drama, deep into the four minutes of stoppage time, when Southend thought they should have been awarded a penalty.

Cole tangled with Dickinson inside the 18-yard area, but referee Chris Sarginson ruled there had been no foul committed by the Argyle keeper.