In the Premiership, it is often said that having a water tight defence will help to win the league title at the end of the season.
However, in the lower leagues it is often the side with the meanest attack that goes on to win the title and promotion. Indeed, in recent years, a feature of many promotion winning sides from League Two has been a strike partnership that have provided their team with a 30-40 goal a season contribution.
Despite the fact that Torquay's formation, deployed by Martin Ling since October last year, is often described some observers as a 4-3-3 system, is essentially a lone striker formation, with joint top scorer Rene Howe, who has nine goals to his name, playing role of the lone forward.
For this system to work, it requires the rest of the side to chip in with goals, which they have done to great effect.
Skipper Lee Mansell is Gulls joint top scorer with Howe with nine. Next on the list is Danny Stevens who has found the back of the net six times.
Loan signing Billy Bodin, who returned to Swindon earlier this month, and Kevin Nicholson have both scored five.
Irish midfielder Eunan O'Kane has chipped in with four during the course of the season and defender Mark Ellis scored his third of the campaign on Saturday against Northampton.
With 11 wins in 14 games and 35 points from a possible 42, Torquay are now up to ffith in the Npower League Two table.
Similarities can be found with the current Gulls' side and the team that Kevin Hodges led to the Division Three Play-Off final in the 1997-98 season.
That team also shared the responsibility of finding the back of the net through out the team. Rodney Jack led the way with 16 goals, whilst Andy Gurney and Paul Gibbs scored 10 each and Jon Gittens, Andy McFarlane and Kevin Hill all hit seven.
As well as reaching the Play-Offs that season, the class of 1997-98 were also in contention for automatic promotion right up until the final day of the campaign.
They also set a new club record of eight consecutive wins from January 29th 1998 and March 3rd 1998, Ling's men have currently won their last five on the trot.
Footnote: In the 1997-98 season, Rodney Jack was voted in the PFA Third Division team of the season, alongside current Torquay manager Martin Ling, who was then playing for Leyton Orient.
