Gillingham made it three wins on the trot at Home Park as they survived the last hour with just ten men after Joe Martin scored and was then sent off.
With Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler forced into making five changes before the game, his side served him so well with Martin firing home a 35 yard screamer on twenty three minutes, but just eight minutes later he saw red for a second bookable offence.
Buoyed on by 459 travelling fans, The Gills defended stoutly in the second half after both Simon King (thigh) and Gavin Tomlin (hamstring) were forced off in the first period.
Plymouth threw everything they had in search of an equaliser, but in the end it was Gillingham that were victorious.
The game started very brightly for The Gills who only featured six of the side that beat Hereford United 5-4 on Tuesday night. In came Charlie Lee, Garry Richards, Joe Martin, Oliver Lee and Lewis Montrose for Jack Evans (groin), Connor Essam (illness), Curtis Weston (knee), Jack Payne (knee) and Danny Kedwell (hamstring).
Jo Kuffour fired a shot just over, whilst Chris Whelpdale spurned a great chance as he headed his effort over the bar and just minutes later King placed his header just wide of the post.
The early pressure finally told in the 23rd minute when the ball came out to Joe Martin some 35 yards from goal and instinctively he slammed the ball into the top corner for his first of the season.
Ten minutes earlier he had picked up his first booking of the game and eight minutes after the goal he was heading back down the tunnel after seeing red for the third time this season.
Gillingham’s woes were not over though as defender Simon King had to be replaced by Callum Davies for only his second Gills appearance and on the stroke of half time striker Gavin Tomlin – who had an early shot brilliantly saved by Jake Cole – limped off to be replaced by debutant Jordan Obita.
However, Andy Hessenthaler’s 10-man Gills had too much about them for relegation-haunted Plymouth and were unlucky not to win by a bigger margin.
Livewire striker Jo Kuffour saw his measured shot from the left come back off the far post after beating Jake Cole from range in the 55th minute.
Despite peppering the Gills goal, the closest Plymouth came to scoring was in the 72nd minute when on-loan Burnley striker Alex MacDonald hit the angle of the bar with a rising 25-yard strike from wide on the left.
Gills keeper Paulo Gazzaniga made one top drawer first-half save to keep out Nick Chadwick’s goalbound flick from an Ashley Hemmings cross, but otherwise it was a comfortable afternoon for the visitors.
The only real concern was the amount of injuries both before the game and during.
FULL TIME: PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 0-1 GILLINGHAM
Saturday’s win takes Gillingham up to eighth in League Two, still three points behind Oxford United in the last play-off place after they beat Swindon Town earlier in the day and next up is Barnet at Priestfield on Tuesday night.
Plymouth line up: Cole, Williams, Purse, Young, Wotton (Walton 71), Hourihane, Blanchard, Bignot (Berry H/T), Chadwick, Hemmings (Tsoumou 61), MacDonald.
Subs not used: Larrieu, Daley.
Booked: Walton (75), Berry (82), Chadwick (82).
Gillingham line up: Gazzaniga, C Lee, Richards, King (Davies 41), Martin, Whelpdale, O Lee, Montrose, Jackman, Kuffour (Miller 71), Tomlin (Obita 45+1).
Subs not used: Hawkes, Spiller.
Goal: Martin (23).
Booked: Martin (13), Richards (49), Montrose (61).
Sent Off: Martin (31).
Referee: Mr Brown
Attendance: 6,382 (459 Gills).