Chester FC boss Jon McCarthy hailed his players' professionalism and the travelling fans' support after a 1-0 victory at 10-man Torquay United effectively sealed the club's safety in the Vanarama National League with six games to spare.

A deflected 80th-minute strike from teenage captain Sam Hughes settled a rain-soaked Plainmoor contest in which relegation-threatened Torquay played more than an hour of the match a man down after Myles Anderson was sent off.

The victory and clean sheet was Chester's third on the run on the road, following identical successes at Bromley and Southport, and moved them nine points clear of the fourth-from-bottom Gulls.

That is in stark contrast to last season when the Blues' battle for survival went down to the wire.

And McCarthy, whose side remain 13th, said: "It was quite difficult for the players because the top surface was wet and we caught it at a time when we'd had a real deluge and we were a little bit worried at one point as we'd had a phone call from their secretary saying it might be off.

"We dealt with the conditions better than than them and we've played some football on it. We had a real attitude about us. These end-of-season games, you don't want to be playing the top teams and you don't want to be playing the bottom teams. We are the ideal team to play against - but you don't want to play us when we're motivated and in the right place

"We did our work and our organisation and my players got themselves in the perfect frame of mind and executed everything really well. It was a really solid, professional National League performance that has got us three points a long way from home.

"I've got to say a massive thank you to the fans who have the made the journey down and for getting behind us these last few weeks and helping us get over the line - and all the ones at home who were panicking can relax and enjoy themselves and give some credit to this group of lads for what they've achieved and the way they've achieved it.

"We can still make 70 points, so let's see how many we can pick up and get close to that."

With captain Luke George ruled out, and his deputy Tom Shaw a substitute and helping McCarthy on the sidelines, the in-demand Hughes was once again handed the skipper's armband.

And, with 10 minutes of the normal time remaining, the 19-year-old delivered in style.

McCarthy, who also paid tribute to the performance of a host of other Blues players, said: "It was such a strong performance from Sam at right-back.

"The way he took charge and wanted to win the game, and started marauding down the right-hand side and strike the ball as well as he did... The lads are hammering him in there for celebrating like that for a deflected goal. He's claiming he only gets one a season so he had to celebrate it like that.

"It was a big moment and he wanted it. He made it happen."

Another big moment had come earlier in the match when Anderson was shown a straight red card for hauling down Chester top-scorer James Alabi when he was clean through on goal.

And McCarthy said: "James is a dangerman for everybody, he's scored 15 goals, he's a massive threat, he's our key player, and if you watch him he's constantly targeted by two defenders, knocking him, pushing him, throwing him off the ball.

"But he completely occupies them and, when he does that, the rest of the team need to take advantage of that. Then he has to wait for his moment - and it came when they fell asleep. He would have scored that chance and it would have been 1-0 to us so the referee had to give it.

"It changed the game but you have to recognise what James has done for 30 minutes before that, and what he has done all season. So, yes it changed the game, but we earned it and worked hard for it."