AFTER two highly encouraging home performances, AFC Totton’s defensive frailties came back to haunt them in a 3-0 defeat at Wimborne Town on Saturday.

With Wantage and Bridgwater both losing again, the Stags remain 11 points clear of the Southern One South & West bottom two and should comfortably survive the drop.

But manager Louis Langdown was disappointed not to build on the four points gleaned from back-to-back games against Barnstaple (1-1) and Shortwood (2-0) at the Testwood Stadium.

Wimborne’s Toby Holmes finished off a fine move to plunge Totton into 17th-minute arrears with his 21st goal of the season.

The Stags managed a few half-chances in response, courtesy of Mike Gosney’s free kick and headers from Dave Allen and Neil Williams, but their troubles doubled on the brink of half-time when Carl Preston was given time and space to fire beyond ’keeper Charlie Searle.

Any plans Totton had to hit straight back after the break went awry inside 30 seconds.

Wimborne went straight for the jugular and Jack Lovell completed the scoring after a tidy move down the left.

Five minutes later, the alarm bells rang again for the visitors, but Searle did well to punch away Dan Cann’s free-kick.

With Wimborne stepping off the gas, Totton belatedly came into the game with on-loan AFC Bournemouth youngster Curtis Young again showing up well.

Alfy Whittinham, on for Gosney, made an instant impact, forcing Magpies ’keeper Gerard Benfield into the first save of the half from long range.

But that was as good as it got for the Stags as Wimborne eased to a season’s double.

Branding the performance “not good enough”, Totton boss Louis Langdown said: “We’ve conceded sloppy goals which they’ve not had to work hard to score. It’s been the story of our season.

“At 3-0 down we create numerous opportunities that we don’t take, we show a bit of spirit, a bit of effort and a bit of bite but, ultimately, it’s too late.

“We came here believing we would get something and, even on the performance today, we still believe we should have got something. It’s not a game with three goals difference, no way, but it’s finished 3-0 because we’ve let silly goals in.”

Totton travel to Hartley Wintney on Tuesday for their delayed Hampshire FA Senior Cup quarter-final before entertaining third-placed Tiverton Town on Saturday. That game will be a ‘Kids Go Free’ day at the Testwood Stadium.