Torquay United manager Paul Wotton said his team’s performance in the 1-0 home defeat by Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday - which was their first home defeat of the National League South season - was probably their best home performance at home so far.

Torquay were all over Hampton for large swathes of the game, in front of a brilliant crowd of 4,450, but could not get the ball into the net, despite creating chance after chance.

With new striker Matt Jay making his debut and playing really well alongside Cody Cooke, Torquay took the game to Hampton and at times were excellent. When Derby County loan striker Emmanuel Ilensanmi came on for Cooke later, he too looked a threat.

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But Hampton’s goalkeeper Max Marrick made one amazing save from a Lirak Hasani header from an Omar Mussa corner in the second half, and a brilliant double stop from a Jordan Young strike and the rebound. Hampton’s defenders did contribute to Torquay’s downfall, but on another day the Gulls might have scored six, and Young might have had a hat-trick. Luck sometimes does play a part in these games.

Hampton’s goal came in the 56st minute when a long ball from the back found Mauro Vilhete and the small striker took the ball down well and smashed it home past James Hamon. The goal had a hint of offside - and maybe a handball about it - but on video evidence, Vilhete was marginally onside and took the ball down legally and well.

Wotton said: “I am obviously bitterly disappointed. I thought we were magnificent. I thought we were good to watch, we were energetic, and other than scoring a goal and getting the three points - which is obviously the biggest thing in football - I thought we were great.

“The first 20 minutes I thought we were fantastic. We have got to find a way of getting that goal when we are on top. The second half we have thrown the kitchen sink at it and their keeper has made two or three ... the save he has made from Lirak from the corner, I don’t know about using the word ‘world class’ but it’s some save.

“Youngy could have had a hat-trick, we kept going and kept going. And the only disappointing thing for me was the goal we conceded. We have got to be better than that. It was a little bit similar to the first goal at Slough on Tuesday night.”

“That’s disappointing but it’s a real tough one because it’s as one-sided a 1-0 defeat as you’ll ever see,” he said. “Hampton threw their bodies in the way, they had some great blocks, the keeper was magnificent - other than that it’s disappointing.

“It has been a week where I think we should be sat here with nine points from the week - and we are sat here with two. It’s a funny old league as you can see with the results today. We have just got to stay calm, stay consistent. I can’t have a go at anyone for that performance. This is going to sound crazy but it is probably the best performance we have had at home and our home record has gone!”

Torquay are now second in the National South table, on 52 points, the same as the other three teams in the top four: Boreham Wood (top with a game in hand over the Gulls), Worthing (third, also with a game in hand) and Eastbourne Borough (fourth, who have played a game more than Torquay). In fact, it’s really tight in the top seven, with Truro City in seventh only three points behind the top four.

Torquay go to Chippenham Town on Tuesday night and they will be desperate to get an early goal there. It will be another tough game for the Gulls.