IF ever there was a team with a split personality, it's AFC Totton right now.

Having crashed 6-0 and 5-0 away from home in recent weeks, the Jekyll & Hyde Stags were this time on the right end of a beating as ten-man Bishops Cleeve were demolished 7-0 at the Testwood Stadium yesterday.

Hailing it Totton's best performance of a rollercoaster season, manager Steve Hollick said: "We were excellent.

"It helped that they had a player sent off, but we were well on top already by then.

"We'd trained well on Thursday, we'd got the full squad back and the bench was as strong as I've seen it.

"(Ex-Fawley striker) Dylan Knight started up front and had an excellent game and with players like Mike Gosney, Nick Watts and Nathaniel Sherborne, we know we can get goals. Mark Lilley and Kyle Joryeff both got on, so we've got good options going forward.

"But what really pleased me was the clean sheet. Defensively we were bang on today."

Totton - looking to break a cycle of four straight league defeats - dominated the early stages with Watts almost opening the scoring with a long-range strike that spanked the outside of the post.

But it was another Watts, Bishops Cleeve's Jack, who caught the eye for all the wrong reasons when shown a straight red after 34 minutes for a cynical challenge on his namesake Nick.

Five minutes later Totton made their extra man count as the lively Sherborne broke into the penalty area and bent in the opening goal.

Midfielder Neil Williams doubled the Stags' lead amid a 53rd-minute goalmouth scramble before Gosney's free-kick found the bottom corner for 3-0.

By now Totton were playing with real swagger and style and, on 70 minutes, former Eastleigh midfielder Jack Alexander conjured up a strike of outstanding quality - his first goal for the club.

His scorching 30-yarder into the top corner had Hollick purring: "You won't see a better goal than that at the Testwood Stadium this season."

Sub Lilley soon made it five on 78 minutes, poking the ball home with his first touch, before a smart one-on-one finish from Sherborne and an almost comical own goal by Cleeve keeper Matt Wiecorek from Gosney's corner completed a runaway Totton victory.

"I don't want to crow too much about this performance because we've had some really iffy ones as well," said Hollick.

"But to put seven past a team like Bishops Cleeve, who had been on a good run, is really pleasing."

Totton, still 16th in the Southern One South & West, travel to Didcot Town this Saturday.