AFC TOTTON waved goodbye to their perfect start to the Evo-Stik South & West yesterday – and they only had themselves to blame.

Whether it was the afternoon heat that went to their heads or the afterglow of Tuesday’s 5-0 FA win over Fleet Town, the Stags looked a shadow of the side that had surged to the top of the table with two straight league success.

After a shaky start against Slimbridge at their newly-named Total Branding Community Stadium, they briefly pulled themselves together to draw a fine save from Swans keeper Oliver Hall who turned over Nathaniel Sherborne’s point-blank strike.

But the Stags had looked sloppy at the back from the word go and criminally fell behind on 13 minutes when Sam Turl was left completely unmarked to head home from a left-wing corner.

Six minutes later the Swans could hardly believe the luck when, from another corner, this time from the right, burly skipper Alex Hoyle too easily won his aerial duel to make it 2-0.

Stuart Mott pulled one back for the Stags deep into first-half stoppage time, stretching out a leg to stab the ball home from Charlie Gunson’s free-kick.

Totton also missed out on a penalty when Craig Feeney looked to be fouled inside rather than out the box and they twice had second-half ‘goals’ disallowed.

Hall excelled himself again to turn Feeney’s strike round the post and Toby Adekunle had an effort cleared off the line - that after midfielder Gunson had picked up a second yellow card on 73 minutes to reduce the Stags to ten men.

Numbers were levelled up in stoppage time when Slimbridge’s spiky, little substitute Harrison Reeves also received a long overdue second booking.

Reflecting on defeat, Stags’ assistant boss Adam Wilde, who replaced young Jack Masterton for the second half, admitted: “It hurts me to say it, but Slimbridge looked like they wanted it a bit more than we did.

“We’d started the season well with a couple of league wins and one in the FA Cup, we’ve got a nice ground here, the pitch is nice and visiting teams are going to be up for it. We’ve got to learn to be up for every game.

“It was quite flat in the first half and we needed a bit more urgency. The two goals we conceded clearly showed that.

“When you go two down you want brave players to win the ball, but we went into our shells a bit.

“Second half, we gave it a go, but you can’t start a game like we did and expect to get anything.

“We started very, very slowly - I’d even felt that in the warm-up. Our first couple of passes went astray and we looked untidy which is quite rare for us because we’re a passing side.

“But we’re a young side too who are still learning and we need to see the response we get from the lads at Salisbury (Monday, 3pm). Hopefully this has given them a kick up the backside and we’ll get the reaction we need.”

AFC Totton: Shane Murphy, Sam Roberts, Jack Masterton (Adam Wilde, 46), Pip Nolan (Alfy Whittingham, 62), Stuart Mott, Callum Chugg, Curtis Young, Charlie Gunson, Craig Feeney, Nathaniel Sherborne (Nimes Pina, 70), Toby Adekunle. Subs (not used): Oliver Davis, Connor York.

Referee: Colin Hubbard.

Attendance: 238.