AUTOMATIC promotion is still in Torpoint’s hands after they saw off title rivals Paulton with an excellent performance in front of 544 supporters at The Mill on Saturday.

Victory over Wellington at the same venue on Tuesday night (7.30pm) in their final scheduled game of the season would send the Point into Southern League Division One South as champions.

It’s so close you can almost touch it – but Torpoint know they will have to produce another fully committed 90 minutes to achieve their aim. Nothing comes easy in football.

Their attitude and effort on Saturday made Paulton – unbeaten in 17 league games since October – look ordinary, which they certainly are not.

From the first whistle the home side were first to most challenges and hardly gave their opponents space to breathe in a scintillating first half.

They found themselves 3-0 up by half-time thanks to goals by Sam Pearson, Gary Hird and Callum Martindale and then defended brilliantly as Paulton hinted at a comeback after striker Brandon Bak pulled a goal back just before the hour.

In recent weeks Torpoint have ground out a lot of valuable points, but this was a high quality, measured performance worthy of a title winning team, when it mattered.

The Cornishmen started on the front foot and they had strong claims for a penalty in the 14th minute when Hird was sent crashing to the ground by Tom Bradley, who hurt himself in the process.

The referee felt it was a fair challenge but the price the influential Bradley paid for the challenge was to limp out of the battle.

Torpoint pressed on and Pearson had an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Martindale’s excellent cross from the left arrived at his feet, but his volley just cleared the bar.

But eight minutes later Pearson made amends with the crucial first goal. Curtis Damerell, on the left byline, wriggled past two defenders before pulling the ball back and Pearson took a touch before firing low into the far corner.

Paulton hardly had time to recover before they found themselves 2-0 down. A through-ball from Freddie Chapman was not dealt with by the visitors’ defence and Hird used his pace to run clear and slide the ball into the net after beating keeper James Smallcombe.

Paulton came close to reducing the arrears in the 44th minute with a fierce shot by Dan McBeam blocked by Torpoint keeper Ryan Rickard, who then reacted quickest to punch the rebound away from danger.

Torpoint went to the other end and won a corner which Tom Payne targeted to the far post. In a scramble the ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty area where Martindale sent a sweet left foot volley into the net.

Paulton needed a good start to the second half and they pulled a goal back in the 59th minute when Bak was left free at a corner to head into the net.

There were a few nerves on the sidelines with half an hour to go but the ones having to do the business, the players, kept their discipline and shape and managed the situation brilliantly.

Even when five minutes of time added on was announced, there was no sign of panic as Torpoint kept Paulton away from their penalty area until the referee finally decided to blow the final whistle.

TORPOINT ATHLETIC: Ryan Rickard, Dave Barker, Sam Hepworth, Owen Haslam, Freddie Chapman, Elliott Crawford (capt), Sam Pearson (Darren Hicks, 88), Tom Payne, Curtis Damerell (James Rowe, 77), Gary Hird (Joe Rapson, 69), Callum Martindale. Subs not used: Rikki Shepherd, Sam Morgan.

Torpoint Athletic man-of-the-match: Freddie Chapman.