AN INJURY to inspirational defender Warren Cummings overshadowed Cherries' victory at Torquay United last night.

Cummings sustained potentially serious ligament damage to his left ankle when he fell awkwardly following a challenge with Gulls' Tony Bedeau in stoppage time.

The Scotsman, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Friday, collapsed in agony and looked shaken as he was carried off on a stretcher.

And although fears he may have broken the joint have been allayed, he now faces an anxious wait to discover the full extent of the damage.

Boss Sean O'Driscoll described the mood in the Cherries dressing room following the final whistle as "sombre" and added: "Initially, we thought he had broken his ankle, but we don't think it's that bad.

"However, if he's torn the lateral ligaments then, in some senses, it's just as bad. But we won't know for 48 hours so we'll just have to wait and see."

Cherries goal hero Steve Fletcher, who marked his first start of the season by netting a second-half equaliser, echoed the sentiments.

Fletcher said: "At first, we thought he had broken his ankle, but we've heard he's got a bit of movement in there so it's fingers crossed for Warren.

"He's probably the best left-back in the division at the moment and he's vitally important for us. We wish him all the best and hope he has a speedy recovery.

"He's not the type of lad to cry wolf and you always fear the worst when something like that happens so we'll have to wait and see how he is.

"It's taken the gloss off the victory and, for someone like me who's had so many injuries in the past, as soon as someone puts their hands up asking for treatment, I just cringe because I know how much of a nightmare it can be."

Cherries went behind to Kevin Hill's 54th minute opener, the Gulls man seizing on Neil Moss's rare error to fire his side into the lead.

But two goals in the space of five minutes - with Garreth O'Connor adding to Fletcher's leveller - handed Cherries the points.

O'Driscoll added: "I've watched Torquay play and I think they are excellent. The reason it works is because everybody is prepared to pass the ball.

"They are always going to give you chances to score goals but you've got to defend properly and I thought we defended fantastically as a team.

"We looked like we were going to score goals every time we went forward. I thought our passing was good, I thought everybody was disciplined and professional and we were well worth the three points."