AFC TOTTON bounced back to winning ways in the Southern One South & West with a 2-0 victory over Bridgwater Town at the Testwood Stadium this afternoon.

A goal in each half from Mike Gosney and Nick Watts was enough to seal the points for Steve Hollick’s men, who have won five of their last seven league matches to sit 11th in the table.

Mike Gosney, making his 386th club appearance to equal Mark Osman’s all-time Stags record, had a hand in the game’s first chance with nine minutes gone.

With Totton flooding bodies into the area, he cut the ball back for Nick Watts whose full-blooded blast was deflected out for a corner.

The first booking arrived three minutes later when Josh White cynically clipped Nathaniel Sherborne’s ankles right in front of an incensed home dugout.

Sherborne was able to continue after treatment and Totton quickly got back into the groove with Dylan Knight firing wide on the turn from Liam Hibberd’s right-wing cross.

Stags’ midfielder Neil Williams was next in referee Marcus Carmichael’s notebook for a firm challenge on Connor O’Sullivan and Gosney quickly followed when he took out Reeko Best from behind to stop a swift Bridgwater breakout.

It took the visitors all of half-an-hour to muster their first shot of note, sent well wide by Issac Reid.

But, like buses, three chances came at once and the next two were far more dangerous.

First Totton keeper Steve Mowthorpe needed two strong hands to push behind Reid’s angled shot on the turn and then, from the resulting corner, Gosney cleared Ben Palmer’s header off the line.

The Stags responded positively with Watts’ chipped pass picking out Knight inside the right of the area.

The ex-Fawley striker’s hit brought the best out of Town keeper Jake Viney who managed to turn it away for a corner.

The Stags kept pressing and, after Williams had thundered a shot wide from distance, the breakthrough finally came with 42 minutes gone.

Watts shuffled across the edge of the area seemingly looking for a space to shoot. Instead, he laid the ball off to GOSNEY who, to the surprise of everyone, hit a first-time beauty, left-footed, straight into the keeper’s bottom right-hand corner from 25 yards.

Mowthorpe then came to Totton’s rescue, reacting sharply to save at Best’s feet and, with the half-time whistle imminent, Watts’ cross found Sherborne unmarked at the far post, but he hesitated slightly and Viney managed to stretch out a hand to save.

The game ebbed and flowed after the break with Gosney having a free-kick charged down and Watts drilling a 20-yarder just wide for Totton.

In between, Bridgwater were unlucky when a deep cross from the left was marginally too high for the unmarked Best.

With the hour mark approaching the Stags withdrew the hard-working Knight and introduced new strike signing Mark Gamble from Wimborne Town for his home debut.

But it was Sherborne who had the next Totton chance, heading straight at keeper Viney from Ian Oliver’s pin-point cross.

Gosney then knocked a pass forward for Gamble who met it at full stretch and, as the ball scooted across the area, Sherborne so nearly got a touch.

Gosney soon found Gamble again, this time with an inviting right-wing cross that the new signing headed just over, before Sherborne brought a save out of Viney after Gamble had helped the ball on.

Bridgwater though, still posed a threat and James Byrne was allowed too much room to burst through the middle and get a long-range shot away which, happily for Totton, was easy for Mowthorpe.

Gosney, already booked, got a ticking off for bringing down George Sinot. Bridgwater wasted the subsequent free-kick and, as Totton broke, Sherborne’s penalty appeal fell on deaf ears as he went down under O’Sullivan’s challenge.

Sinot curled a shot just wide for Bridgwater as the game became increasingly stretched.

Then, at the other end, Gosney found ex-Sholing winger Watts with a crossfield pass. The No7 drove on and, with the 290-strong crowd collectively holding their breath, lashed his shot just wide of the far post.

But there was to be a happy ending for WATTS who made the result safe with just over a minute of normal time remaining.

He played a one-two with Williams inside the right of the area. The ball took a slight nick on the way back to him but he brought it under control and calmly stroked it in for 2-0.

Watts and Gosney came close to adding to Totton’s tally in stoppage time before White sent a header inches wide for the visitors.