WREXHAM manager Denis Smith and his players were all delighted with a point from Saturday's trip to Plymouth Argyle and they were equally united afterwards in their condemnation of match referee Paul Taylor.

The Cheshunt official sent off Dragons duo Craig Morgan and Darren Ferguson - both for two bookable offences - and also cautioned two Argyle players to take his tally for the season to 102 yellow cards and 14 red in just 28 games.

Ferguson's dismissal in added time came too late to undermine an excellent Home Park performance by the visitors, but they had to withstand an Argyle battering from the moment Morgan received his marching orders in the 57th minute.

Steve Roberts and Dennis Lawrence, though, rose to the challenge and teenage substitute defender Simon Spender, given his league debut in extremely testing conditions, came through with flying colours.

Wrexham striker Chris Armstrong claimed afterwards that card-happy Taylor had cost his side the chance to take all three points.

"I was very pleased with that," he said. "It was a bit of a battle but I thought we started the second half on a flyer and we put them under pressure.

"Then Craig was sent off, which put us on the back foot a bit, but we've defended well and we coped pretty well with what they had.

"It was a fair result at the end but I thought the referee was terrible today. It's one of the worst displays I've seen this season.

"Right from the first minute and the first decision, which was influenced by the crowd, we knew from then on it was going to be a battle.

"We've ended up with nine men and it was not a dirty game. So we are disappointed because we are going to miss two key players for a very important part of the season. But what can you say, except that I was very disappointed with the referee."

Armstrong praised his defensive colleagues, including goalkeeper Mike Ingham, who had just one save of note to make during the entire game.

"They launched the ball forward quite a lot but we coped with that well and I can't remember a time when I thought they were going to score," he added.

"Mike commanded his area quite well and the central defenders did okay too. We've come here and more than matched them and put on a good performance, I think.

"I had one chance in the first half when the ball was spinning towards me, but I just didn't get a good connection on it.

"That was disappointing but we'll settle for the point, because it was well deserved."

Wrexham, who had failed to take even a point from their previous four away games, set out their stall early on, with wing-backs Carlos and Paul Edwards taking up and holding deep positions in order to soak up the anticipated force of an Argyle side who had scored 46 goals in 14 home appearances.

Even so, they were fortunate Argyle midfielder Nathan Lowndes had one of those afternoons when little went right for him in front of goal.

He headed an inviting opportunity wide from a Paul Wotton free-kick in the 13th minute and seven minutes later spun to meet a Mickey Evans flick-on but drove his shot wide of the target.

Almost immediately afterwards, Lowndes went past Morgan, only to yet again poke the ball across the face of the goal as Ingham came out quickly to close down the angle.

Having drawn Argyle's sting, the visitors set about their own game, with midfielders Steve Thomas and Ferguson always look-ing to get the ball into wide positions.

A flowing move involving Armstrong, Chris Llewellyn and Carlos Edwards forced Paul Connolly into a vital clearance and another swift counter-attack saw the Trinidad international go for goal instead of picking out one of three waiting colleagues as the home side were found wanting.

A mistake by Ingham, who dropped an in-swinging corner from Wotton, gave David Norris a chance to break the deadlock three minutes before the break, but he pushed his effort wide. Armstrong did the same at the other end when Llewellyn flicked on a Carlos Edwards' cross.

And it was in first half of added time that Morgan, who looked solid and strong, picked up his first caution for a challenge on Wotton which was later described by his manager as the best tackle of the game.

Wrexham began the second period in the ascendancy, knocking the ball round confidently and defending much further up the pitch. A tame Llewellyn header failed to trouble Luke McCormick but it was a sign Argyle were beginning to feel the strain and Paul Barrett's whipped-in cross minutes later was turned behind at full stretch by Graham Coughlan.

Morgan's 57th-minute dismissal, for a body-check on David Friio, changed every-thing, though.

From Wotton's free-kick, Ingham acrobatically turned away Mickey Evans' effort and within minutes Thomas had made way for young Spender.

Carlos Edwards made a timely tackle to deny David Norris in the penalty area but generally the visitors' defence held their shape and discipline as they came under renewed pressure.

Despite their numerical advantage, Argyle seemed to have few ideas, and persisted in knocking long balls forward even though Lawrence and Roberts had long since established their superiority in that department. A long-range shot from Friio was evidence of their inability to get behind the Wrexham defence.

The visitors might have won the game in the 73rd minute. Carlos Edwards won possession on the edge of his own penalty and broke quickly. He carried the ball fully 70 yards but, with both Llewellyn and Armstrong demanding the ball, chose to go for glory and his weary effort reflected the effects of his lung-bursting charge.

There was a late scare for Wrexham when Connolly found space in the penalty box only to steer a header just wide of the post, but the visitors' satisfaction at a job well done was soured by Ferguson's second indiscretion, a full-blooded tackle on Peter Gilbert.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE: McCormick; Connolly, Adams (Hodges 72), Coughlan, Gilbert; Friio, Norris, Lowndes (Phillips 58), Wotton; Evans, Stonebridge (Keith 79). Subs: Sturrock, Capaldi. BOOKINGS: Connolly, Lowndes.

WREXHAM: Ingham; Roberts, Morgan, Lawrence; C Edwards, Barrett, Ferguson, Thomas (Spender 61), P Edwards; Llewellyn, Armstrong (Sam 79). Subs: Whitfield, Holmes, Crowell. SENT OFF: Morgan, Ferguson.

REFEREE: Paul Taylor

ATT: 12,275