Hampton & Richmond Borough coach Dudley Gardner has hailed skipper Dean Wells' star turn between the sticks at the weekend as key to his side’s Blue Square South survival hopes.

Centre-back Wells took over the gloves from Matt Lovett after 40 minutes of Saturday’s crucial 1-0 win at Worcester City when the injury-plagued shotstopper strained his back.

The former Brentford trainee made a string of fine saves - and saw a penalty go wide - to keep the scores level in an ill-tempered match, before Beavers midfielder Barrie Matthews stroked home a late penalty to secure three points.

The result helped Hampton eight points clear of the drop zone with games in hand, before Tuesday night’s 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Dorchester Town.

But Gardner admits a defeat at City could have been potentially disastrous for Hampton, as the win went a long way to ensuring safety come the end of a traumatic season.

“It would make my life easier if Dean was a goalkeeper because he is forever moaning and groaning about training,” he said.

“When he went in goal he was like a little kid in a sweet shop. He made a couple of good saves and his handling was pretty good. He fancies himself as a goalie but he is a great centre back.

“It was a hugely important win. We’d been on a good run that has restored confidence.

“It was vital we won at Worcester because it has virtually made us safe, otherwise we could have been looking over our shoulders again.”

Tuesday’s defeat means the Beavers, who saw former Chelsea trainee James Simmonds make his debut at the weekend, now have the second worst home record in the division with only two wins all season.

Their cause hasn’t been helped by injuries and budget cuts at Station Road in the light of the economic downturn, and Gardner reckons there is still plenty to play for to make sure they can go into the next campaign with confidence.

“I don’t know what the problem is at home. Maybe teams open up a bit more when we go to them, or they just come and do job when they come to us? I don’t know,” he added.

“If we do what we did on Saturday we’ll be alright. We’ve had a run of games where we were playing well and it felt like we took a step backwards on Tuesday.

“Every game for us is a cup final now. It is vital we stay up and finish well, because it may mean a bit more in the budget for us next year.”

Hampton’s next three games: Mar 13 Maidenhead Utd (a), 16 Bath City (h), 20 Eastleigh (h).