Torquay United skipper Chris Hargreaves headed home the winner in the Gulls' 1-0 victory over Northampton Town at Plainmoor on Saturday.

The United midfielder - a former Northampton player of the year - claimed his first goal of the season to end the side's 11-match wait for a league win.

United had on-loan Southampton keeper Michael Poke to thank for the result, after he made a string of superb early second-half saves to thwart Town's strikers.

Ryan Gilligan's stooping header was instinctively dealt with by Poke, diving to his right to palm the ball around his post in the 49th minute.

Poke's best save came seconds later as Steve Guinan teed up strike partner Adebayo Akinfenwa, whose powerful downward header was somehow acrobatically flicked up off the line by the back tracking keeper.

It was not all Northampton, however, and Town keeper Chris Dunn made an equally impressive 55th minute diving save to push away a thumping 12-yard shot on the turn from Torquay target man Tim Sills, whose arrow-like sixth-minute header had beaten Dunn but crashed off the crossbar.