EX-SAINT Kayne McLaggon and his Merthyr Town teammates showed just why they are sitting top of the Evo-Stik Southern One South & West with a five-star performance at AFC Totton on Saturday.

But while recognising that the league leaders possessed “power all over the park”, Totton boss Steve Riley suggested that the eventual 5-1 scoreline had as much to do with the Stags’ defensive shortcomings as it did Merthyr’s attacking brilliance.

For the first 15 minutes Totton were the better side and were unfortunate to fall behind when Ian Traylor’s blast from the left edge of the area took a huge deflection off Ryan Prosser on its way past 17-year-old AFC Bournemouth loan keeper Pat O’Flaherty.

That zapped the Stags’ confidence instantaneously and, from then on, it was boys versus men as Prosser, McLaggon, Traylor and sub Corey Jenkins exploited the home side’s defensive naivety.

To be fair to Riley’s young guns, the fixture list has done them no favours. This was their fourth consecutive game against top-four opposition.

But the cold, hard facts read: Played four, lost four, scored four, conceded 14 and Riley clearly feels that, hard as his young side work, they lack the experience to cope with the likes of Merthyr who have ex-Football League players on their books.

“Merthyr have power all over the park but, saying that, these are situations we’ve been in already this season and it’s happening again,” said the boss.

“You’ve got to ask yourself is it the opposition putting us under pressure or are we putting ourselves under pressure with the individual errors we’re making.

“It’s not as if teams are passing the ball from back to front and scoring ‘worldies’ against us. They’re simple goals we’re conceding from one ball over the top.

“If our lads want to play higher, they’ve got to take responsibility at key moments.

“Saying that, Merthyr are home and dry the best side in this league. Even if we’d taken our A game out there today and they’d taken their Z game, I still think they’d have come out winners.

“Their first goal was a bit lucky but, after that, they were able to control the tempo of the game, when to slow it down and when to speed it up.

“They’ve got quality throughout and players who are ready for the Southern Premier. But how many of our players are ready for it? You’ve got to realise what the squad is and what we’ve got. I said five games ago that we’d know where we were after the Merthyr game and this is where we are as a club.

“Andy Straker, the chairman, and Roy Edwards have worked hard to get us a steady foothold off the pitch, but we don’t have the resources to bring in experienced players and that’s a factor.

“I’d love to have players with League experience like Merthyr have got. If we did, I’m sure our young lads would come on in leaps and bounds. But we don’t have the resources and that’s not the players’ fault. Today was a steep learning curve for them.”

If there was an element of luck to Prosser’s opener, that wasn’t the case for his 34th-minute second as he brushed away Totton’s timid resistance before drilling low into the bottom corner.

Nine minutes later it got worse for Totton when Traylor made easy progress down the right and delivered for former Saints and Salisbury man McLaggon to sweep home.

The hosts were given brief hope on 69 minutes when Ellis White headed home Liam Gilbert’s free-kick, but two defensive lapses allowed Merthyr to run away with it in the closing stages. Traylor burst through for number four before skipper Ryan Green’s free-kick bounced over two Totton defenders before Jenkins hooked it home.

“I felt sorry for young Pat O’Flaherty in goal,” admitted Riley. “He’s only 17 and he’s made some good saves today, but I don’t think we’ve helped him.”

AFC Totton: Pat O’Flaherty, Liam Hibberd, Ellis White, Stuart Mott, Rob Flooks (Jamie Blackburn, 46), Liam Gilbert, Taylor Edwards (Zac Mouland, 62), Billy Lowes, Joe Maxwell (Liam Feeney, 56), Nathaniel Sherborne, Jack Hoey. Subs (not used): Nathan Hurst, Chris Ferrett.

Referee: Mike Desborough (Portsmouth) Attendance: 323