AFC Totton’s winless run stretched to four games as they were floored by an eighth-minute Mark Gamble goal in today’s Southern One South & West showdown against Wimborne Town at the Testwood Stadium.

The Magpies bossed the opening minutes and, from the game’s first corner, ex-Eastleigh man Ian Oliver met George Webb’s delivery with a scuffed shot which keeper Steve Mowthorpe smothered.

Totton responded with a superb long ball from Jamie Bulpitt which picked out the run of Craig Feeney, but goalkeeper Jason Harvell got there just in the nick of time.

Within a minute the Stags fell behind.

Sam Griffin’s cross from the right found skipper Scott Arnold on the edge of the area and he headed it down for Wimborne’s predatory marksman MARK GAMBLE who poked it past Mowthorpe from close range.

Harvell then had to be alert again to cut out Liam Gilbert’s floated cross under pressure from tall defender Ellis White.

Play was then halted while White’s central defensive partner Rob Flooks received treatment after colliding with his own keeper Mowthorpe, who then denied the rampaging Gamble by racing to the edge of his area and blocking with his feet.

Webb, the smallest player on the pitch, then headed wide of Mowthorpe’s left-hand post before Totton responded with a spell of pressure which brought two great efforts from Nathaniel Sherborne.

Harvell dealt smartly with them both – first palming away Sherborne’s 20-yard strike and then brilliantly turning away another good hit from the edge of the box after Sherborne had got the better of grounded Magpies’ captain Arnold.

As the end-to-end action continued, White and Zac Mouland threatened for Totton, while Feeney had a penalty shot turned down after racing shoulder-to-shoulder with Arnold into the Magpies’ area and going to ground.

Gamble posed a constant threat at the other end, having one shot deflected out for a corner and cleverly steering another just over from an acute angle.

Just before half-time, Griffin capitalised on White’s failure to cut out a cross-field pass, but Mowthorpe saved the day for Totton by sliding in to save at the No 7’s feet.

After a low-key start to the second half, Totton’s White was infuriated with the officials for missing some off-the-ball barging from a Stags corner.

And the boys in blue were fired up again minutes later when Oliver brought down Bulpitt with a heavy challenge on Totton’s right.

Oliver was booked for the foul and, in the aftermath, Totton defender Flooks was cautioned for dissent.

On 56 minutes great work by Liam Hibberd put Mouland in on goal, but Harvell closed him down in a flash and the ball rebounded off the keeper and out for a corner with Mouland coming off worse as the pair collided.

Totton boss Steve Riley withdrew Bulpitt and threw on frontman Taylor Edwards on the hour as the Stags looked to find their way back into a finely balanced contest.

That breakthrough moment looked to have come on 70 minutes when Sherborne drove in menacingly from the left and let fly from distance, but the outstanding Harvell denied him with another top-drawer save.

Riley made further positive substitutions, bringing on James Jennings and Joe Maxwell, but it was not to be for the Stags.

Harvell – briefly a Totton goalkeeper during Stuart Ritchie’s days in charge – crowned an excellent display on 89 minutes, racing out to deny Feeney as the Stags’ leading scorer scampered through.

Totton kept going right into stoppage time but one last chance eluded them when White headed straight at the impeccable Harvell.

Result: AFC Totton 0, Wimborne Town 1