A COOL FIRST-HALF finish by Torquay United's new loan signing Scott Rendell was the deserved reward for another highly encouraging pre-season display against League One side Brighton & Hove Albion at Plainmoor last night.

Rendell, who agreed a season-long deal from Peterborough United during the day, fired home Elliot Benyon's 37th minute cross.

That was just one of many classy moves which saw Paul Buckle's Gulls dominate the first half.

Rendell unsurprisingly took a while to adjust to the pace of United's game, but he was in the right place at the right time for his goal, and he took it well.

Just as against Derby County (0-0) last week United's passing, now allied to some more determined marking, tackling and running, was more than a match for higher division opposition.

On the rare occasions when the Seagulls did outflank the Torquay defence, goalkeeper Scott Bevan was in top form – two saves were right out of the top drawer.

The match also contained that rarity for a pre-season friendly – a sending-off.

Referee Mike Cairns dismissed Brighton substitute striker Craig Davies in the 73rd minute – he had been on the pitch only 13 minutes – after a clash with Mark Ellis which also saw the Gulls' defender booked.

You could tell that we are on the run-in to the season proper – there were three tackles in the first half-minute!

That tempo continued as United carried the game to their opponents with the same brand of football that had stretched Championship side Derby County to the limit six nights before.

They should have taken the lead after only three minutes.

Wayne Carlisle put Danny Stevens away on the left, Stevens' first touch took him clear of the last defender, but his second was a miss-hit, with his weaker left foot, which missed the right-hand post with only goalkeeper Michel Kuipers to beat.

United's workrate ensured that Brighton had little time on the ball, and when they gained possession themselves, they used it to good effect.

In the 18th minute a sparkling move between Kevin Nicholson, Stevens and Elliot Benyon saw the Gulls' striker hold the ball up until Nicky Wroe found a gap, the pass was accurate and Wroe ran on for a shot which might well have beaten Kuipers if Adam Virgo hadn't half-blocked it.

Four minutes later, after a dreadful offside decision stopped Benyon in his tracks, Lee Mansell slipped Benyon through on the right, and his low, angled shot was well held by Kuipers.

It took Brighton 23 minutes to have anything like a shot at goal, Nicky Forster firing wide.

But United were in no mood to be shaken out of their stride.

Not for the first time Mansell, Carlisle and Benyon opened up the Seagulls defence on the right, but Tyrone Thompson's finish from just inside the box was a disappointing miss-hit.

In the 36th minute a jinking run by Stevens, cutting in from the left, set up Carlisle for a shot just off target from 22 yards.

But United had to wait only one more minute to gain the lead they so deserved.

Again Stevens had a big part to play.

He started a counter-attack with an astute pass to Carlisle in space, he set Benyon away on the right, Benyon's early low cross was too good for the retreating Brighton defence and Rendell beat Kuipers with his left foot from eight yards…1-0.

When Bevan comfortably held a Forster shot five minutes before the interval, it was the first effort on target that the Seagulls had produced in the first 45 minutes, testament to United's superiority.

United made their first two changes at half-time.

Tim Sills took over from the hard working Benyon up front, while Mark Ellis came in for Mansell in defence.

Ellis lined up alongside Chris Todd in the middle, with Chris Robertson switching to right-back.

Brighton boss Russell Slade must have had a few stern words during the interval, because his team had moved up a gear.

Albion had a goal by Andrew Crofts disallowed for offside, after Bevan had parried a Danny Spiller free-kick.

Dean Cox dummied on a midfield pass to put Forster away against Todd on Brighton's left.

Forster went past his man, crossed low and Cox forced the chance wide at the near post.

Then Bevan dived to his left to pull off a brilliant save from Mark Wright's 15-yard right-foot shot.

It was United's turn to defend now, as Brighton added pace and intent to their passing.

A barrage of substitutions interrupted the flow of the game on the hour – both clubs made six changes.

For United, on went Blair Sturrock, Lee Hodges, Michael Brough, Steve Adams, Ben Joyce and trainee Saul Halpin.

Off went Rendell, Nicholson, Wroe, Thompson, Stevens and Carlisle.

All the chopping and changing did for Brighton was to put them off their stroke.

And in the 69th minute United nearly made it 2-0.

Sturrock linked with Halpin on the right, Adams was there to chip in a diagonal cross and only a finger-tip save by sub goalie Graeme Smith kept out Sills' goalbound header at the far post.

In the 73rd minute referee Mike Cairns came up with that rarest of decisions – a red card in a friendly!

After a series of robust challenges by Ellis, Davies appeared to react by forcing his face into Ellis's.

Mr.Cairns sent Davies off and booked Ellis for his part in the spat.

Brighton raised their number of subs to nine without improving on their play at the start of the second half.

But in the 80th minute Bevan did have to pull out another outstanding save, low to his right at close range, to stop sub James Tunnicliffe heading the equaliser from an Alan Navarro free-kick.

Todd was within an ace of forcing home a second Torquay goal, from a Ben Joyce corner.

United actually finished on top.

It took a goalline clearance by Andreas Chronis to keep out a Robertson header.

And three minutes from time Michael Brough fired just wide after he had worked room on a Hodges throw.

Young Halpin produced some assured touches for a 17-year-old as United made sure of another confidence-boosting result, the night finishing with a Navarro free-kick which was so off-target that it nearly cleared the Family Stand.