Cup replays meant that only four Blue Square Premier fixtures took place on Tuesday evening, with three triumphant sides all climbing into the top four.
Torquay United have overtaken Burton Albion as league leaders as their stunning recent form saw them set a new club record of fifteen games unbeaten, as they trounced bottom side Lewes 4-1 at Plainmoor. Tim Sills hit two to take his season tally to thirteen, and Danny Stevens also bagged a brace.
The mood in The Gulls' camp has been made more sombre however, with the news that 27 year old centre-back Chris Todd has been diagnosed with leukaemia. Club captain Chris Hargreaves spoke for everyone when stating "If anyone's going to fight this, it's going to be him, and everyone's there for him".
Elsewhere Histon are second, only behind Torquay on goal difference and with a game in hand, after inflicting a 3-1 defeat on Stevenage Borough. Matt Mitchell-King set them on their way after just two minutes. Cambridge United relied on a Ben Purkiss own goal to help them see off York City 1-0 to lift The U's the fourth and send The Minstermen to their third consecutive defeat.
The final league game of the evening saw Weymouth and Woking draw 1-1 to allow Alan Lewer to collect his first point in charge of The Terras. James Coutts gave his side the lead just after halftime, only for Paul Lorraine to equalise within a minute.
The other action of Tuesday was First Round Replays of the FA Cup. Three clashes took place between all-nonleague sides, while two others from outside the Football League also made progress into next weekend's Second Round. Oxford United required extra time to see off Dorchester United 3-1, while Fleetwood Town had to wait until the final half hour of a replay to finally break down Leiston in a 2-0 win.
There were no such problems for Barrow, as they made Eastbourne's long journey home a bad one following a 4-0 thrashing. Kettering Town upset League opponents by seeing off Lincoln City 2-1 on their own turf, while Droylsden stunned League Two leaders Darlington with a 1-0 win. The match was held up for over half an hour in the second half as former Cambridge United target Liam Hatch was treated for a suspected broken neck, although fears were thankfully soon quashed.
Altrincham held Luton town to a second consecutive goalless draw only to face the agony of a penalty shootout defeat at Moss Lane, while the final nonleague team in action was AFC Telford, who survived for seventy-four minutes before going down 2-0 at Southend.
The final match scheduled to take place was Grays Athletic hosting League One Carlisle, in a game that was called off due to floodlight failure moments after the home side took the lead, forcing the Carlisle fans to have to travel back again to replay the replay.
Ten Blue Square Premier fixtures take place on Saturday, and the race for places at the top of the division could barely be closer. Burton face Stevenage and Wrexham travel to Kidderminster in the pick of the matches as all sides attempt to build momentum as the season moves towards the most hectic period, Christmas and New Year.
Matt Ramsay
