SEVEN days ago AFC Totton were sitting proudly aloft the Evo-Stik South West table with maximum points.

But a week, as they say, is a long time in football and the Stags head to Frome Town in the FA Cup first qualifying round on Saturday smarting from two defeats, two red cards and various injury and unavailability problems.

Charlie Gunson, dismissed for two yellow cards in the 2-1 home loss to Slimbridge last weekend, is suspended, while Alfy Whittingham's parent club Havant & Waterlooville do not permit him to play in the Cup.

Experienced defender Dave Allen is due a scan to get to the bottom of a long-term foot problem, while Jack Masterton missed Monday’s 2-0 defeat at Salisbury with ankle trouble.

For the second time in three days, Totton finished the Salisbury game with ten men after defender Callum Chugg had seen red – harshly in the Stags’ opinion – for pulling back Whites’ match-winner Marvin Brooks at the expense of a penalty.

Ex-Fawley man Chugg can play tomorrow but misses the next league fixture at home to Yate Town (September 9).

“A couple of injuries and a couple of suspensions and all of a sudden the squad we started the season with is devastated. I don't even know if we'll fill the bench,” said manager Louis Langdown.

“Frome are a league above us (Evo-Stik South Premier) and we’ll travel there with bodies missing for different reasons, but we’ll go and do whatever we can.

“For 20 minutes at Salisbury we played with confidence and were on top, but a stray pass gifted them the first goal, Craig Feeney’s been really unlucky to hit the post when we could have made it 1-1 and (Salisbury 'keeper) Charlie Searle has made a great save from Callum Chugg’s header.

“We’ve then had Callum sent off and, looking at the video, it wasn’t a sending-off, in fact I don’t even know if it was a penalty.

“Salisbury’s a difficult place to go, we all know that, but we stayed in it and we did have chances. If we can carry on creating chances, who knows?

“Salisbury are a decent outfit. They countered on us very well and seemed to break forward very quickly. They've still got a reasonable squad there.

“It’s the Slimbridge result that’s hurt us. If we’d beaten them, we wouldn’t have minded so much not picking up points at Salisbury.”

On the bright side, Totton's young former AFC Bournemouth right-back Connor York returned from injury to play the whole 90 minutes at Salisbury.

"He tired a bit towards the end when we were down to ten men but, moving forward, we hope to be able to get his relationship with (right winger) Curtis Young going again," said Langdown.