A 48th minute strike from Danny Stevens gave Torquay United club league record equalling 11th away win and boosted their automatic promotion bid.
Stevens' strike just after the break proved to be enough to separate the two sides and gave the Gulls a temporary four point cushion over Shrewsbury and Crawley going into Saturday's fixtures.
Following Saturday's matches, that four point advantage became three as the Shrews and Red Devils both drew their respective games against Aldershot and Burton Albion.
They now only trail Swindon by two points as the Robins shared the points in their encounter with Bristol Rovers as the League Two promotion race hots up going into the closing stages of the regular campaign.
