IN his programme notes, Brendan Flood observed that Plymouth ‘always seem to appear at a critical time for us as a football club’.

“Over the years we've had some vital wins against Argyle,” commented the Clarets' operational director, referring in particular, no doubt, to the 3-1 play-off semi-final win at Home Park en route to promotion in 1994, Andy Cooke's 1998 double that avoided relegation on the final day of the season and, more recently, the 4-0 thrashing that ended Burnley's run of 18 league games without a win at Turf Moor in April 2007.

Pilgrims manager Paul Sturrock could have had few complaints had his side suffered a repeat of that scoreline on Saturday, bearing in mind Burnley's dominance in possession and chances created, even after Chris Eagles received his marching orders in the 84th minute for reacting to Chris Barker's shirt pull.

But a combination of Graham Stack's saves and missed opportunities left Owen Coyle's men still searching for their first win of the new campaign, and led them into the two-week break for internationals second bottom in the Championship with just two points on the board.

Back-to-back clean sheets - three if you include the Carling Cup shut-out against Oldham Athletic - cannot be grumbled with, especially considering the horrendous start made to the new season.

But as one door has closed at one end, it has well and truly slammed in their faces at the other.

"Three clean sheets in a row is a positive from that aspect, but for some reason it always seems to happen that if you don't take your chances you look less and less likely to score goals," said frustrated captain Steven Caldwell, who was inches away from breaking the deadlock with a couple of first-half headers from set pieces.

"I felt I should have probably scored the first one. I probably headed it down too much and it skidded wide and over. The second one was a little bit high but when I was so close again I could probably have scored.

"That's sometimes the way it goes. We just have to look at the positives.

"We're very disappointed to draw at home to Plymouth and have two points from four games but we looked solid again, albeit against a team that came with limited attacking intentions.

"We still had to concentrate and kept a clean sheet. They never really had a chance other than one put by the post at the end of the first half.

"We had a lot of possession but the pitch was a bit sticky, passing was a little bit off at times. We did okay in the first half although I still think we could have passed it better then, but we had better chances in the first half and if we'd have got one goal then it changes the whole game when a team comes and plays you like that. It's about getting that first goal."

Making just one change to the side which had countless chances yet drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace, before putting three past Oldham in midweek, was Coyle's initial means of making that happen as on-loan defender Russell Anderson replaced Michael Duff at right back to face the club he enjoyed a spell with last season.

Plymouth would not have relished a trip to Turf Moor when also awaiting their first win of the new campaign, and boss Paul Sturrock almost admitted as much in his pre-match musings after realising it had not been a happy hunting ground for the Pilgrims in the past.

Since beating Burnley in January 1977, a record of two draws and 10 defeats makes dismal reading for Argyle fans. Last season's 1-0 loss was, compared to others, quite mild, although had Burnley created enough that day also to make it as comprehensive as the drubbing Sturrock's predecessor, Ian Holloway, suffered.

Defence-minded Argyle kept possession well in the early stages in trying to overcome their hoodoo, and Paul Gallagher, who completed an emergency loan move from Blackburn Rovers on the morning of the game, would have been disappointed not to direct his header from Jason Puncheon's right-wing cross on target. From the wide man's corner minutes later, Anderson's firm header out landed at the feet of Luke Summerfield outside the area, but Brian Jensen remained untested as the midfielder fired wide.

Burnley pushed on from there to conjure two chances in quick succession. Eagles' free kick seemed destined for the far right corner, until Stack turned it round the post, and Caldwell met the resultant corner with a powerful downwards header that bounced up but over the bar.

Chris McCann looked to cap his 100th league appearance for the Clarets with a goal, but after turning his marker in the left channel his shot from distance was deflected off target.

A Puncheon free kick failed to burst Burnley's bubble as Jensen claimed it comfortably. Instead, it inspired them, and after Wade Elliott played a neat pass inside to McCann, the midfielder was unfortunate that his well-struck volley was countered by an equally good save from Stack.

Burnley persisted, and exercised patience in trying to penetrate Plymouth's five man midfield. Waiting for an appropriate opening, they kept possession with simple passes. It wasn't to the fans' liking, and dissenting voices made themselves heard, but in a system where Martin Paterson is the lone striker there are few other ways to reach him.

The pacy front man covered plenty of ground to get the ball, and after hugging the left touchline he took Eagles' pass and cut inside, only to be thwarted by yet another deflection.

Summerfield's undetected short free kick nearly caught Burnley out, but Jensen managed to palm away Steven MacLean's drive.

Caldwell almost had a similar impact at the opposite end, but couldn't steer a header from Eagles' free kick on target at the far right post.

Yet as rare as Plymouth's attacks had been, Burnley got a huge let-off on the stroke of half-time when an unmarked Gallagher got on the end of Puncheon's right-wing cross inside the area, but bent a right-foot shot wide.

Coyle had sacrificed Duff to name an attacking bench, and opened the second half up with Plan B as Robbie Blake replaced the uncharacteristically ineffective Kevin McDonald.

Plymouth continued to frustrate, but it needed a well-executed challenge on MacLean from Anderson inside the box to deny them a rare chance from open play.

Elliott was sacrificed for Ade Akinbiyi as Coyle gave Paterson some much-needed support, and an injury to Christian Kalvenes forced the Burnley boss to make Joey Gudjonsson his third and final substitution. That meant the ever-versatile Graham Alexander taking up his third position of the afternoon, at left back, after starting in the holding role then switching to central midfield at the start of the second half.

Burnley huffed and puffed but couldn't blow Plymouth's rigid structure down, and their cause wasn't helped when Eagles was red-carded on 83 minutes after battling for the ball with Barker in the corner, and lashing out at the left back's hands-on approach.

The mentality automatically switched from chasing a win to protecting what they had, and although only Stack's fingertips prevented Gudjonsson's venomous free kick flying into the roof of the net in stoppage time, Coyle will hope to work some magic in what remains of the transfer market to help Burnley retrieve the goalscoring form they enjoyed in pre-season to add another name, and goal, to Paterson's solitary Championship strike.