Torquay boss Martin Ling thought his side dispelled any lingering doubts about their tenacity after a 2-1 win at Macclesfield.
he Gulls took the lead after 51 minutes when the Silkmen failed to clear a corner and Ian Morris was first to the bouncing ball to head home at the near post from six yards.
Mark Ellis then extended Torquay's lead in the 75th minute with a volley on the turn from eight yards. Macclesfield were given a lifeline when centre-back Shaun Brisley headed home an Elliot Hewitt cross in the 82nd minute but it was too little too late.
The Gulls have now lost only one in 11 and Ling said: "I was getting the old 'southern softies' tag from behind the dug-out. I told them they should have come up with something more original, but to be fair we did lose at Accrington on a cold northern day.
"However, this was different and I thought we showed a lot of character and commitment. The first thing I told the boys was that they had to match Macc's physical strength. They are not a long-ball team by any means, but they play with purpose and try and get the ball forward quickly.
"I thought we matched them in the first half and in the second half we started to show more commitment and talent up front."
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