PLYMOUTH Argyle are not dead and buried just yet.

The Pilgrims' quest to avoid relegation from the Coca-Cola Championship was given a boost not just by their 3-2 home win over Bristol City last night, but by the manner in which they achieved it.

Goals from Chris Clark and Bradley Wright-Phillips, with his first for the Home Park club, had put Argyle two up at half-time. They squandered that advantage by allowing Nicky Maynard to find the net twice to restore parity in the second half, but Carl Fletcher drilled home a dramatic winning goal in the final moments.

Argyle had some welcome news before a ball was kicked last night. Kari Arnason, who had suffered a calf injury during last weekend's 1-1 draw at Coventry City, passed a pre-match fitness test.

The Icelandic international lined up alongside the recalled Réda Johnson, who had not played since the end of February because of a groin strain, in central defence for the Pilgrims. Chris Barker switched from the middle to left-back to take over from Richard Eckersley.

Eckersley's enforced omission was the only alteration to the Plymouth team which had begun last Saturday's match. Wright-Phillips and Yannick Bolasie, who had made their first Championship starting appearances for Argyle at the weekend, retained their places.

The Pilgrims needed to have Arnason and Réda Johnson, arguably their first-choice central defenders, on the pitch. They were up against Bristol City debutant Stefan Maierhofer. The Austrian giant, the tallest player in the Football League at 6ft 7½in, was borrowed from Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. He lined up alongside Maynard in the middle of the Robins' attack.

Maynard had the game's first attempt on goal, turning well and shooting just wide from outside the penalty area in the seventh minute.

The visitors' hopes of winning a penalty in the 17th minute were swiftly curtailed. Referee Trevor Kettle's response to Ivan Sproule's tumble in the box was a yellow card for the Northern Ireland international winger, who was deemed to have dived.

The first quarter of the game, it was safe to say, was not graced by any excess of excitement. The visiting fans momentarily thought they had a goal to celebrate in the 22nd minute, when Maierhofer bundled the ball over the line after home goalkeeper David Stockdale had pushed out Cole Skuse's shot, but the Austrian was judged to be offside.

Argyle had better luck after 31 minutes. Jamie Mackie's attempt to take the ball down the left flank was thwarted, but the striker managed to squeeze a pass into Barker's path. He lofted a cross to the far post which was met by Clark, who fired a fine first-time shot past goalkeeper Dean Gerken for his first goal since January 2008.

Mackie had a go at doubling Argyle's lead soon afterwards. His strike from some distance deflected off Louis Carey and was safely parried by Gerken. The Pilgrims' second goal eventually arrived in the 45th minute, and it was a spectacular one.

Arnason was the creator with a long throw from the right which cleared a pack of players at the near post and bounced up at the right height for Wright-Phillips to attempt an overhead kick. The ball hurtled into the net, and Stockdale's stoppage-time save from Maynard ensured that the Pilgrims held a two-goal lead at a half-time interval.

City sent on Danny Haynes in place of Sproule at the start of the second half, as they sought a way back into the contest. The red-clad team had plenty of possession in the early exchanges after the break, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce looking lively on the left flank.

Argyle's defence had one or two nervous moments, and the hosts' advantage was halved in the 58th minute. After Clark had nudged Maynard just outside the penalty area, Skuse rolled the ensuing free-kicked to Maynard, who drilled a low shot into the net.

Another dead-ball situation two minutes later almost produced an equaliser. After Réda Johnson had been booked for tripping Maierhofer, Stockdale dived to his left to push away Jamie McAllister's fierce free-kick.

Argyle were in danger of paying a heavy price for defending too deeply. They needed to push forward again. When they did so, another Arnason long throw reached Bolasie, whose well-hit shot was blocked by Carey.

Wright-Phillips, whose pre-season knee injury means that he has not yet played 90 minutes of first-term football this term, was applauded off the pitch when his shift came to an end in the 70th minute. Joe Mason was sent on and soon set up Mackie for an angled shot which was dragged across goal.

The next goal went City's way. Réda Johnson went up with Maierhofer and the ball glanced off the Argyle defender, Arnason misjudged his attempt to cut it out, and Maynard raced away to lash a low shot past Stockdale in the 78th minute.

The Pilgrims were rattled, and Maynard glanced a near-post header off target soon afterwards. Argyle had a one-man advantage for the last few minutes, after Campbell-Ryce was sent off for felling Clark soon after he had been booked for dissent, and they made use of it in the first minute of stoppage-time.

Alan Judge, who had replaced Clark, lofted a free-kick into the box. It was cleared as far as Fletcher, who drilled a low shot past Gerken and into the net for a winner which was greeted by ecstatic celebrations.