As the half progressed the Cherries came more and more into the game. A superb move started by Cummings saw a rasping cross by Wade Elliott, and Hayter was inches away from connecting with the ball and what would have been the opening goal.
Further efforts followed but the Cherries really hadn't quite got their sights firmly on goal yet. A weak header from Supa was easily saved, then Wade went off on a mazy run through the Torquay defence but shot just wide. Hayter then shot wide from a corner, Elliot shot over and Supa headed wide!
Sadly the breakthrough did not come for the Cherries and the last few minutes of the half saw a half chance for the Gulls with Moss saving well at the feet of Akinfenwa.
HT: 0-0
The 2nd Half started with Elliot and Hayter providing the first real goal chance, but Jamie's powerful header went just wide. However, disaster struck on the 53 minute mark! Jo Kuffour went on a mazy run inside our half and shot from about 20 yards out. Mossy appeared to have gathered it but to our consternation it squeezed under his body and rolled onto the post. In the desperate attempt to retrieve things Broadhurst was always going to be second best and Hill had an empty net to aim out from yards out to make it 1-0 to Torquay.
I dont think many travelling Cherries fans could believe Mossy's error or the fact we were behind. But the lead was to last only 4 minutes with the Cherries galvanised by the impudence of Torquay in daring to score! Neil Young almost scored from distance. Then came the Supa moment - Jamie Hayter robbed Torquay's Kevin Hill, put in the perfect cross and there was the man himself with a diving header in between two Gulls defenders: 1-1 and the away end erupted. A brilliantly worked goal and you could see what the goal meant to Steve Fletcher!
By now it was all Bournemouth. On 57 minutes, assists by Fletcher and Hayter saw Garreth O'Connor free at the far post. A fierce shot followed, going in off the Torquay keeper's foot. Cherries 2 Torquay 1. Pandemonium followed in our end with huge celebrations, followed by the second or third chorus of the evening of "We Are Going Up" and "You're Going Down With The Feeney" directed at the Torquay home end.
Meanwhile back to the game: the Cherries were now scenting blood and really going for the jugular. Hayter and O'Connor played a superb one-two, but Jamie's shot was deflected out for a corner. Supa then put John Spicer in, but his shot was cleared off the line right back into the relieved arms of the Torquay keeper.
Hayter was then in again, anticipating a backpass that went horribly wrong, but his pull-back found no-one with the net totally unguarded. In all honesty we were cruising, but the last ten minutes of the game saw the fire go out of our attack with triple subs coming on. The 81 minute mark saw Supa being replaced by Deadly, 4 minutes later Spicer was replaced by Marcus Browning, and then on 89 minutes Connell replaced Jamie Hayter. During this time Torquay came back into the game a little without really threatening, but enough to give us some anxiety - a draw would have been a travesty of justice!
But further drama was to follow: 3 minutes of injury time was announced by the 4th official - where the ref got this from God only knows. Cummings then injured himself when tackling Bedeau, saving a possible goal, but at what cost?(Thankfully we now know he is only going to be out for a month).
No sooner had he been stretchered off the ref blew for full time to rapturous applause and celebrations from the travelling Cherries support.
I could give this to half our team on their collective performances, but for me has to be Brian Stock. I will say no more but that he ran the midfield with ease in a dazzling display.AFCB: Moss, Cummings, Howe, Broadhurst, Young, Stock, Spicer, Elliott, O'Connor, Hayter, Fletcher
Subs: Stewart, Maher, Holmes (on for Fletcher, 81), Browning (for Spicer, 87), Connell (for Hayter, 90)
Rob Mann, Newton Abbot