DEBUTANT STRIKER Scott Rendell and have-a-go right-back Lee Mansell scored the goals, but Torquay United beat Chesterfield just as surely by their defensive application as their attacking prowess in Plainmoor's sun-drenched return to the Football League on Saturday.

Make no mistake, Paul Buckle's Gulls deserved this wholehearted, entertaining and psychologically important victory.

But if they had not stuck to their guns when they didn't have the ball – which was for long periods in both halves – they would never have been able to make their quality count when they did.

It was a combination which Buckle, and several of his senior players, were quick to comment on after the match.

For the vast majority of a near-4,000 crowd, the contest was made all the more absorbing by Chesterfield's obvious threat.

The Spireites, even without their suspended leading scorer Jack Lester, stretched United to the limit, especially through wingers Jamie Lowry and Donal McDermott.

Gulls fans quickly realised that their side – Rendell and fit-again goalie Scott Bevan were the only changes from the eleven which started the Play-Off Final victory over Cambridge at Wembley in May – had a real job on its hands.

The pattern was set in the first quarter of an hour.

Chesterfield, keeping the ball better, were on top.

Midfielder Mark Allott, running at a retreating defence, had a shot deflected wide off Kevin Nicholson.

United skipper Chris Hargreaves dived to head a dangerous Darren Currie cross behind.

A Rendell clearance rebounded for a corner off Derek Niven.

But through that difficult early spell, United could always count on Danny Stevens on the left wing to make the most of any possession and threaten a counter-attack.

Sure enough, in the 15th minute Stevens played a key role in the opening goal.

Rendell started and finished the move.

He sent Stevens away in midfield against Phil Picken, Stevens used Nicky Wroe for a one-two move inside the retreating full-back, crossed low and Rendell was at the near-post to slide home a real striker's goal from close-range…1-0.

Moments later more clever play by Stevens produced a cross which just eluded Tim Sills and Wayne Carlisle.

The experienced Niven had seen enough, and he was lucky to escape with only a warning from referee James Linington, after one clear foul on Stevens.

Still, both Stevens and right winger Carlisle were having to work just as hard to help Mansell and Nicholson hold Lowry and McDermott, a promising youngster signed on the eve of the new campaign from Manchester City.

On the half-hour the veteran Currie, playing as a striker rather than the winger he's usually been through his long career, held off Chris Todd long enough for Niven to find some space, laid the ball off and Niven brought the first of several fine saves by Bevan with an 18-yard shot.

Stevens, set up again by the industrious Rendell, was again the architect with a cross which 40-year-old Chesterfield 'keeper Mark Crossley only just cut out against Sills.

Lowry and McDermott switched wings, which actually gave United a bit of a breather on both flanks.

But Drew Talbot still fired not far over from 20 yards for the visitors.

And just before half-time Mansell appeared to wrench his back as he fell awkwardly in conceding a corner against Lowry.

It was a relief when United's right-back reappeared for the second half, especially as he and all his teammates were needed to hold Chesterfield's attempted fightback.

Rendell galloped back to help Mansell end a dangerous Lowry run.

Chris Robertson didn't get much wrong in an impressively solid display at centre-back, but when he did misjudge a ball over the top in the 53rd minute Talbot should have done better than a weak shot which Bevan smothered.

Still Chesterfield kept coming.

A Talbot cross appeared to deflect off Todd and onto the far post at the Babbacombe End.

Nicholson blocked a McDermott shot. Midfielder Wroe got back for a key tackle on the ever-dangerous winger. Currie couldn't quite punish a rare kicking mistake by Bevan.

Substitute Jordan Bowry, on for Currie, missed a good chance on McDermott's pass.

But United would not and did not crack.

They kept forcing Chesterfield wide, made them shoot from distance most of the time and always threatened a counter of their own.

And, as they had done in the first half, they struck just when Chesterfield must have thought they could and would equalise.

If Rendell had started and finished the first goal, then Mansell did it for the second.

A backheel pass helped to set up a slick right-wing move which got Carlisle in for a cross to the far post.

Sills headed back across goal and Mansell, who had somehow made up the ground, was there to finish with a header from point-blank range…2-0.

Much of the credit should go to Sills.

Many a forward would have tried to go for goal, but he realised he couldn't get enough power even though he just beat Ian Breckin in the air, and his 'percentage' header paid big dividends.

Former Gulls striker Martin Gritton – it was a surprise decision by John Sheridan to leave him out in Lester's absence – went on for Niven in the 77th minute.

Bevan had to make three excellent saves in the last ten minutes, from Talbot, Gritton and McDermott.

But United fans were already hailing a morale-boosting victory by then.

And they also delivered standing ovations to Rendell, when he was replaced by Elliot Benyon, the outstanding Stevens, who went off for Lee Hodges in the last minute, and the whole team after the final whistle.

United had been tried and tested by a Chesterfield side which will surely be among the promotion contenders next Spring, but they had not been found wanting