James Alabi struck in the 87th minute to earn Maidstone a 1-0 win over Torquay.

The visitors started brightly and came close to an opener when Jake Andrews forced his way into the Maidstone box before shooting straight at Yusuf Mersin.

Andrews had another chance on the half-hour mark when he chased down a long ball before striking just wide of the target.

Maidstone almost broke the deadlock late on when Roarie Deacon’s header forced substitute goalkeeper Rhys Lovett to tip over the bar.

But, just a minute later, the hosts had their deserved goal when Alabi emphatically finished from Deacon’s ball across goal to claim victory.