Jamie Mackie finished as the club's top scorer with eight goals in all competitions, and captain Carl Fletcher was voted Player of the Year.

[1] The club secured their status in the second tier of English football for a sixth season after finishing 21st in the league table, five points above Norwich City.

[2][3] A number of players returned to their parent clubs at the end of the season after successful loan spells,[4] including Craig Cathcart, David Gray, Alan Judge and Paul Gallagher.

Sturrock wanted to bring Gallagher back to the club on a permanent basis, but was eventually unsuccessful after admitting before the season finished that the transfer fee and wages were an issue.

[10] The club added to their squad that month with the permanent signings of Bradley Wright-Phillips, Kári Árnason and Réda Johnson, while Jermaine Easter and long-serving Frenchman Mathias Kouo-Doumbé were among the players who left.

[12] An early goal from Hungarian international centre-back Krisztián Timár put Argyle ahead but the home side responded in the second half to give both teams a share of the points.

[13] Argyle faced Queens Park Rangers in their first home game of the season and an injury-time own goal from Kaspars Gorkšs salvaged a point after the visitors had taken the lead in the first-half.

[14] Alan Gow's first goal for the club in their next match against Cardiff City was merely a consolation, as a hat-trick from Michael Chopra consigned Argyle to their first league defeat of the season.

[18] The club's poor run of form continued in their next home match against Watford, as they suffered their fifth straight defeat and slipped to the bottom of the league table.

[22] Paul Sturrock kept faith with the young defensive pairing of James Chester and Shane Lowry for their next game against Peterborough United,[23] and two second-half goals Mackie and Rory Fallon secured Argyle's first three points of the new season.

"[29] An Argyle Hall of Famer returned to Home Park on 18 October 2009,[30] when former England international Paul Mariner was appointed as the club's new head coach.

But, if sentiment is involved in this scenario, then they gave me my very first chance as a player so I grabbed it with both hands," said Mariner on the New England Revolution website, the club he left to rejoin Argyle.

[32] They faced Ipswich Town, another side struggling for form, at home in their next match and a first-half goal from Fletcher put Argyle ahead, but their hopes of claiming three points were dented when the visitors equalised through striker Jon Stead, who capitalised on a poor back pass from Gary Sawyer.

[33] Welshman Darcy Blake, on loan from Cardiff City, was shown a straight red card late in the game as it ended all square.

[53] A brace from Judge,[54] and first goals of the season for Kári Árnason and Ashley Barnes secured a 4–1 win at Home Park and six points from their two games over the Christmas period.

[55] Argyle returned to league action after their FA Cup ties on 16 January, looking for another three points against Crystal Palace but an early goal from young striker Victor Moses won the game for the visitors.

[57] A defeat by fellow struggler's Sheffield Wednesday,[58] coupled with other results going against them, left Argyle five points from safety,[59] with a tough match to come against West Bromwich Albion a week later.

A single goal from striker Simon Cox kept Albion in touch at the top of the table and left Argyle deep in relegation trouble again, six points from safety.

A lapse in concentration from David Stockdale, on loan from Fulham, gifted the hosts a fourth goal before a 20-yard volley from Mackie set up a frantic finale.

[76] Argyle travelled to play Scunthorpe United looking to keep up the momentum, but threw away a lead to be defeated by a deflected effort from Martyn Woolford.

"[80] Former manager Ian Holloway returned to Home Park for the first time since his departure in November 2007 in the club's next game, and he left happy as Blackpool side claimed all three points after a 2–0 victory, with Charlie Adam at the heart of their attacking threat.

[83] They produced another rousing away performance against Doncaster Rovers to earn a 2–1 win, coming from behind with second-half goals from Mason, and an injury time header from Wright-Phillips.

[86] A solitary goal from Watford's Heidar Helguson dealt Argyle's survival hopes an almost fatal blow at Vicarage Road,[87] but vice-captain Karl Duguid remained upbeat about their chances of defeating the league leaders in their next game.

"[93] Argyle's penultimate game of the season took place at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest, who had already qualified for the play-off's, and they secured a comfortable 3–0 victory against the relegated side.

[100] Argyle striker Rory Fallon forced a good save from Tim Krul before the visitors had chances of their own, the majority of which went to Fabrice Pancrate.

Newcastle looked likely to win the game late on but were denied by goalkeeper Romain Larrieu, who tipped a looping volley from Nicky Butt over the crossbar.

[101] The match saw the return of Chris Barker to the Argyle defence after a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of injury, and manager Paul Mariner was full of praise for his performance.

The match on Tyneside was to be the last in an Argyle shirt for Cillian Sheridan who returned to Celtic in Scotland the next day when his loan spell with the club finished, having made 13 appearances, scoring no goals.

The visitors fell behind to an early goal but responded with three of their own in an entertaining friendly, including a brace from Republic of Ireland youth international Joe Mason.

[120] Argyle returned to England to play against Morecambe on 25 July 2009, and included a triallist called Réda Johnson in their defence, who appeared in the match under a pseudonym.