The Owls haven’t won away at Plymouth since 2009, but a first half display showed signs of promise at Home Park as Danny Röhl’s side took it to the hosts and were the better of the two sides for sustained periods.
But they contrived to find themselves 2-0 down after a nightmarish end to the first stanza, Mustapha Bundu rifling home a freekick before Pol Valentin’s mistake let Morgan Whittaker double their lead.
The second half saw Plymouth take control, and another Owls error in midfield led to Ryan Hardie making it three, and now the rock bottom Owls find themselves 11 points adrift of safety - it’s not even November yet.
Here’s how we rated the players on a torrid, wet night in Devon:
5. Akin Famewo - 5
Showed some good bits of play as he was chosen as the first choice left back once again, but for all his strong work defensively he didn’t seem to offer too much going forward. | UGC / Steve Ellis
6. Anthony Musaba - 6
Should probably have had a couple of assists in a really productive first half. His touch let him down a couple of times, but was a real threat down the right and caused genuine problems for Plymouth. Came off just after the hour mark. | UGC / Steve Ellis
7. George Byers - 4
Back in the Wednesday XI and looked strong in the first half, helped dictate matters in the heart of the pitch but like others saw a dip after falling behind. Got caught in possession for the third goal. | Getty / UGC
8. Barry Bannan - 5
Still not at his best, but even tonight managed to make more key passes than any other player on the pitch. Got taken off towards the end. | UGC / Steve Ellis