Alex Bray stepped off the bench to score the winner late on in a game where Torquay’s relentless amount of pressure was held off by Weston.
Weston started well when Jarrad Welch won the ball from Liam Davis, and his shot from 25 yards was held by Shaun MacDonald. Jennison Myrie-Williams was slid through on goal, and his shot was saved by the feet of MacDonald.
A Jake Andrews effort was held by Purnell, and an Opi Edwards shot from 25 yards after driving forward with the ball from halfway was palmed away by Purnell, with on-loan Bristol City striker Saikou Janneh flagged offside by the linesmen.
Weston took a shock lead when Gethyn Hill found himself in on goal, and from a tight angle, he slid the ball through the legs of MacDonald with his left foot to put the Seagulls into the lead at Plainmoor.
A Welch shot from 25 yards was dragged horribly wide when he saw a sight of goal, and Janneh drove wide of Luke Purnell’s right-hand upright after skinning Tom Harrison and Naby Diallo.
Image: Will.T.Photography
A Davis shot from the corner of the area was blocked by Aaron Parsons, and Torquay skipper Asa Hall volleyed wide of the target from 18 yards. Two minutes later, Edwards skinned Alex Byrne and drove the ball low into the area. The cross was blocked by Harrison, but Jamie Reid volleyed inches wide of the target from yards out.
Reid volleyed wide from 18 yards after a Lemonheigh-Evans free-kick was headed clear, and Lemonheigh-Evans had a shot deflected over from 18 yards by Jake Lee.
Jean-Yves Koue Niate headed a corner from Lemonheigh-Evans wide of the target, and Asa Hall blazed another corner from the Bristol City loanee when the ball fell at his feet.
Reid blazed over from 25 yards after running onto a Janneh flick, and Purnell wonderfully denied Reid when Janneh had cut the ball back for the onrushing forward.
Nurse drove over with one of Weston’s only chances after bringing down a diagonal pass from Jason Pope.
Torquay equalised however when Janneh was clipped in the box, and up stepped Reid. The prolific goalscorer finished into the corner to draw the table toppers level.
Lemonheigh-Evans volleyed over from inside the area from a Reid knockdown, and Niate could only blaze wide from the edge of the area.
Weston got a vital winner late on however when substitute Alex Bray’s pace tore Torquay’s defence wide open, running with the ball from inside his own half and slotting the ball in for his first league goal in the white of Weston.
Torquay had one last throw of the dice, Ruirai Keating heading a cross wide of the target, but Weston held on for a brilliant win.
FT: Torquay 1 – 2 Weston (Reid pen 70 – Hill 9, Bray 84)
Weston XI: Purnell (C), Pope, Nurse (Bray 74), Lee, Parsons, Harrison, Welch (Cane 63), Diallo, Hill (Lucas 87), Myrie-Williams, Byrne. Unused substitutes: Phipps, Llewellyn.
MOTM: Gethyn Hill – No Weston player really shone out today in an incredible team display, and Hill’s work rate up front as well as a well-taken goal cappd off a brilliant performance.
On Tuesday evening, the Seagulls host Wealdstone at the Optima Stadium in a 7:45pm kickoff.