Stevens strike sees off Shrimps

Torquay United occupy the final League Two play-off place

tonight after a Danny Stevens strike proved enough to seal three points against

Morecambe at Plainmoor.

The 25-year-old's first-half strike was an example of accomplished

finishing on an afternoon littered with wayward strikes, and Stevens' first

goal of the league campaign also secured United back-to-back wins for the first

time since March.

Manager Martin Ling had challenged his players to leave the

inconsistency in the changing room and build on Tuesday night's spirited

victory over league leaders Gillingham, and with Morecambe missing key frontmen

Kevin Ellison and Richard Brodie because of suspension, the Gulls knew that

this was an opportunity to prove they can string wins together.

In a game which took had a tempo as low as the temperature,

Torquay only managed to test Morecambe stopper Barry Roche five times out of 17

attempts, with top scorer Rene Howe displaying an uncharacteristic profligacy in

front of goal.

On 13 minutes captain Lee Mansell failed to capitalise on a glorious

chance created from a Kevin Nicholson corner, miscuing his left-footed shot

from eight yards out and failing to make positive contact with the ball.

The next chance 10 minutes later fell to Stevens, who was

first to the ball after a Mansell free kick from 25 yards had been charged down

by a Shrimps player, but his attempt from just inside the penalty box was

thrashed over Roche's goal at the Babbacombe end.

But just before the half-hour mark, Stevens, who was roaming

between the left wing and a more central role, managed to atone for his earlier

miss after latching onto a threaded Billy Bodin pass into the left channel and

darting deep into the Morecambe box before slotting a left-footed strike across

Roche and into the bottom right corner...1-0.

Bodin was proving to be a thorn in the Shrimps' side, with

his probing runs inside from the right wing causing a headache among the away

side's back four.

Jim Bentley's depleted squad did threaten on occasion, with

Lewis Alessandra looking the most likely to beat Michael Poke in the United goal.

The 23-year-old, in for the missing frontmen, stung the fingers of Poke 39

minutes in after being allowed to go on a mazy run to the edge of the Torquay

box and getting a left-footed shot in.

Alessandra went close again two minutes later with another

left-footed drive from a similar area, but the effort went inches wide of the

left-hand post.

Immediately after this Morecambe attack, the Gulls broke and

Bodin beat two defenders to go deep inside the Shrimps' box, but he tried to

take on a third and stood on the ball instead of testing the goalkeeper.

In the second half Morecambe were beginning to string more

passes together but rarely caused Poke problems, with Aaron Downes and Brian

Saah comfortably handling the attackers.

Torquay's best chance fell to Bodin on 70 minutes when Howe

won the ball on the half-way line, raced forward and sent Bodin clear on the

right, but the summer signing was unable to finish with that jinxed right boot

from inside the penalty area, his shot spooning harmlessly over the bar.

Bodin, who showed promise with some good passes and tricky

runs, was replaced by Niall Thompson shortly after his skied effort, and the

youth team product upped the pace down the right flank.

Howe, who wasted a couple of chances from just outside the

box, made way for Ryan Jarvis seven minutes from time – perhaps Ling knew the

top scorer was simply having an off day.

Despite the introduction of Thompson and Ryan Jarvis, the

Gulls were unable to double their lead.

The second-half's most interesting highlight came in the

dying minutes when the Morecambe stopper came up and managed to meet two

successive corners with his head after trying to salvage a point from the game,

but his foray into the Torquay box proved fruitless.

The Gulls managed to hold on and secure the

three points in a game which proved to be all about the points, rather than the

spectacle.