A LATE aerial sucker punch from promotion-chasing Cinderford Town was enough to see off AFC Totton 2-1 at the Testwood Stadium last night.

But the Stags will ruefully reflect on missing a host of chances during the Evo-Stik Southern One South & West clash.

Neil Williams put Steve Hollick's side in the ascendancy in the first half before two second-half Cinderford blows sunk the Stags and boosted their own promotion charge in the process, writes Sean Carter.

Totton came flying out of the traps against a Cinderford side who had the opportunity to go top with a win.

The impressive Williams saw a strong headed effort tipped onto the post, before Mike Gosney's speculative 40-yarder forced Alex Harris in the away goal into a wonderful acrobatic save.

After a flurry of early efforts from the home side, the visitors gradually began to get a foothold in the game and show their class, as the tricky George Lloyd fizzed a couple of efforts just wide of the mark.

After withstanding wave after wave of testing Cinderford attacks, AFC Totton were looking equally dangerous on the counter-attack.

Gosney led one particular home side charge, with the ball eventually falling to Jake Burgess in the box, only for his strike to be blocked bravely by Nick Rhodes.

The Stags efforts paid dividends in the 32nd minute as another tricky counter-attack ended in the game’s first goal.

Dylan Knight threaded a cute through ball into midfielder Williams who tucked it past the advancing Harris to make it 1-0.

The home side showed no signs of attempting to park the bus, however, as just five minutes later the Cinderford town bar was rattled by Nick Watts after a delightful Gosney back-heel.

In the second half it was Cinderford who looked the brightest in the early exchanges, with Totton's stand-in goalkeeper Victor Silvestre forced into an important early save from Ryan Shaw, denying the midfielder from close range.

As the away side threw caution to the wind and turned up the heat, the solid Stags defence eventually gave way.

A 58th-minute corner eventually made its way to the feet of full back Kieran Thomas, who drilled the ball past the hapless Silvestre to make it 1-1.

As the second half wore on the game descended into a scrappy and tense affair with both sides wasting a host of chances to grab the winner.

Williams nearly scored his second for Totton after what was yet another fine save from Harris in the Cinderford net, before Lee Smith hit the bar for the away side.

AFC Totton would eventually come to rue all of those missed chances in the 87th minute as Lorcan Sheehan’s dangerous ball was met well by Ethan Moore who leapt highest to head home right at the death.

The result saw Cinderford move back to the summit, leaving Totton 14th.