Torquay 0
Harriers 1

KEEPER Adam Bartlett was the hero for Harriers as a last-gasp penalty save ensured they returned to Worcestershire with all three points.

Bartlett made a string of saves to keep the dominant home side at bay, before denying Tim Sills from the spot late on.

Defender Martin Riley had put the visitors ahead against the run of play from a corner.

Manager Mark Yates made two changes to the side which drew at home to Forest Green on Boxing Day.

Winger Brian Smikle and defender Luke Jones were dropped to the bench and were replaced by captain Mark Creighton and Russ Penn.

Penn was moved to the left wing, with Andy Ferrell playing in central midfield alongside Dean Bennett.

The visitors were under pressure from the kick-off when striker Matthrew Green sped past Martin Riley to latch onto Tim Sills' slide-rule pass but screwed his shot wide.

Harriers continued to weather heavy pressure from the Gulls and Adam Bartlett did well to get a hand to Sills' rising shot.

The away side began to battle back into the game and gain a foothold in midfield but still struggled to create any chances.

Martin Brittain saw a free-kick fly wide of former Harriers shot-stopper Scott Bevan's goal, while left-back Lee Baker saw a long range effort fly over the bar.

While Harriers were seeing more of the ball, the forward line of Justin Richards and Matthew Barnes-Homer were starved of scoring chances.

In contrast, Torquay were more lively in attack but their finishing could not match their approach play.

Green held off Riley to find space for a shot but guided a low effort into Bartlett's welcoming arms.

Winger Wayne Carlisle stole into the box and was allowed to reach Kevin Nicholson's cross but headed over the bar.

Near the end of the first half Lee Baker's cross troubled Bevan, before the shot-stopper collected the ball under pressure from Barnes-Homer.

Harriers went into the break lucky to be on level terms but made a slow start to the second half, when Nicky Wroe flashed a fine effort from the edge of the box just over Bartlett's bar.

Bartlett did well to keep the scores level in the 56th minute when he denied Carlisle from point-blank range.

Harriers were growing in confidence and Matthew Barnes-Homer powered down the right wing but was blocked by Bevan, who rushed a long way out of his area.

Despite being impeded, the striker delivered a low cross and Ferrell saw his shot from the edge of the area blocked by Kevin Nicholson.

Harriers were defending doggedly and Bartlett somehow stretched out a hand to deny Chris Hargreaves.

But Riley grabbed his second goal in as many games when he fired Harriers ahead against the run of play in the 73rd minute.

Barnes-Homer forced the visitor's first corner of the game after a strong run.

Martin Brittain swung in the corner and Creighton knocked it down to Riley.

Despite falling, the defender rifled a powerful shot into the roof of the net.

The away team could have gone 2-0 up minutes later when Matthew Barnes-Homer sped past Nicky Wroe but he shot off target.

Bartlett kept Torquay at bay when he dived at the feet of Wroe as he powered into the area.

The keeper was the hero again in the dying minutes when the hosts were awarded a 93rd minute penalty, even though it looked like Torquay's Lee Hodges handled in Harriers' box.

But the keeper flung himself to his left to get a hand to Sills' spot-kick.

Harriers: Bartlett; Baker; Creighton; Riley; Lowe; Ferrell; Bennett; Penn; Brittain (Smikle, 78); Barnes-Homer (Beardsley, 94); Richards (Jones, 88) .

Unused substitutes:Moore; Coleman.

Torquay: Bevan; Nicholson; Woods; Mansell; Sills; Wroe; Hargreaves; Carlisle; Hodges; Green (Benyon, 66); Stevens (Thomson, 79).

Unused substitutes: Brough; Robertson; Thomson; Adams.

Referee: SP Beck.