The Fleet were cool and clinical in easing past Torquay United to move to fourth in the table as three strikers hit three goals in one of the season’s standout performances.

Fleet were eager from the first attacks and Kwesi Appiah tested James Hamon with a volley on goal that the Torquay keeper claimed.

Torquay struggled to get any possession in the Fleet’s final third and the best they had was a low cross into the area from Matt Jay but with no white shirt anywhere near it, Matt Hall wasn’t troubled.

There were huge shouts for a penalty from home fans when a quick move down the left saw Appiah flick a pass into Dom Samuel who was pulled down but incredibly the Fleet forward was booked for simulation.

There was a second questionable decision a few minutes later when Appiah battled clear of Ed Palmer and struck a good shot past Hamon into the back of the net but the referee judged the Fleet striker had foulder the defender.

The breakthrough Fleet deserved arrived on 30 minutes and it came from a quick-thinking throw out by Hall. That found Josh Passley down the right and he found Seaman, whose ball in was attacked by Appiah but ran to the far post for Samuel to fire back across goal and in.

Torquay were hardly in it as Seaman then drilled a shot from just inside the area that Hamon parried down to the feet of Samuel but he coukld only react quickly and fired over from close range.

Another chance before the break arrived when Appiah’s flicked header was agonisingly close to doubling the Fleet’s lead, but it was hacked away by Dan Hayfield.

Fleet were back on it in the second-half with Tom Dallison heading over from a corner before Ben Chapman’s long-range strike was forced out by Hamon and a second effort from the Fleet man wasn’t far off the target.

The lead was doubled with 56 minutes on the clock. A ball dropped into the box by Coker caused a scramble in the area which saw Appiah take the last touch and fire home.

The Fleet’s set pieces continued to cause a threat as Coker whipped another dangerous delivery into the box which was scuffed clear.

The visitors found themselves down to 10 men after Matt Worthington was shown a red card following a heavy challenge on Hessenthaler with the Torquay man fortunate not to have been yellow-carded earlier.

A similar incident to Appiah’s in the first-half saw Torquay denied for a foul when Sonny Fish was stopped by the whistle after getting round the grounded Mustapha Olagunju. Ten minutes later Jay Foulston had clear sight of goal when he met with a cross but he couldn’t find any space either side of Hall who made the catch.

Torquay were finished on 81 minutes when Appiah’s header from a cross was stopped but ran clear to substitute Marcus Wyllie to pounce for his first Fleet goal.

EUFC: Hall, Passley, Dallison, Olagunju, Coker, Seaman, Hessenthaler, Chapman (Kennedy 79), Edser (Coley 85), Appiah, Samuel (Wyllie 71). Subs: Peake, Barnes, Sandford
TUFC: Hamon, Foulston, Palmer, Tizzard, Worthington, Hayfield, Jay (Morgan 72), Lo-Everton, Dennis (Fish 58), Young (Wilson 82). Sub not used: Seedhouse-Evans.
Attendance: 1,467
Images courtesy of EUFC / Tom Harris