Knill hails winning Gulls

Alan Knill praised Torquay's determination after they won 2-0 at 10-man Morecambe to clinch a second successive victory.

Knill stressed the result came before the performance as the Gulls moved two points clear of the bottom two heading into a final-day showdown for survival involving as many as seven sides at the foot of League Two. "The result was everything and we did enough to get what was a massive three points, especially when you look at the other results around the league," Knill said. "I'm delighted for the players because they have shown great spirit. They have always been a hard-working lot and I have always said that if you work hard you will create your own luck, which is what happened here. "We had a bit of fortune with the first goal when their 'keeper made an uncharacteristic mistake and that gave us a platform to build on. "They came back at us and hit a post but we kept them out and scored a vital second just when they were threatening and that was enough to give us the win which is all it was about. "We have another big game to come at Bristol Rovers but hopefully the two wins this week will have given us the momentum we needed." Torquay were given a helping hand when they took the lead with a freak goal in the 28th minute. Rene Howe and Stewart Drummond challenged in the air, with the Morecambe defender passing back to his own goal only to see home 'keeper Barry Roche let the ball crawl under his feet and into the net. The sucker punch was an added blow for the Shrimps, who had found themselves a man down four minutes earlier when teenage debutant Chris Doyle was shown a straight red card for hauling down Elliot Benyon. To their credit Morecambe came out fighting and Andy Wright hit the woodwork with a superb volley from the edge of the area, but the Gulls crucially doubled their advantage through Ashley Yeoman in the 69th minute.