THERE is nothing like a 5-1 win to take the heat off an under-pressure manager!

Steve Hollick had been feeling the strain after a dire run of results from his AFC Totton side.

But yesterday's trip to Burnham was just what the doctor ordered as on-loan Eastleigh striker Tony Lee helped himself to his second hat-trick in three Stags appearances in a runaway 5-1 Southern One South & West victory.

Totton’s strong start bore fruit on 18 minutes when Lee snapped up the rebound after Neil Williams’ shot hand cannoned off the post.

Nathaniel Sherborne looped an effort against the crossbar before Marc Diaper doubled the Stags’ advantage with a free-kick from the edge of the area.

On 42 minutes young Spitfires prospect Lee struck again, taking advantage of some sloppy defending, but Totton’s hopes of a rare clean sheet were sunk just before half-time when Burnham’s Alex Dimitrijevic pulled it back to 3-1.

Diaper and Nick Watts, twice, bruised the home woodwork again before Sherborne did well to bury Totton’s fourth under pressure from two centre-backs.

Burnham enjoyed a brief spell of pressure before, with nine minutes remaining, Lee completed his hat-trick. Receiving the ball wide of the penalty area, he skipped inside past his marker and expertly beat the ’keeper to crown a man-of-the-match display.

The win lifted Totton to 17th, but they remain just three points above the drop zone and Hollick acknowledged: “I’m still under pressure because of where we are in the league, but it was a nice result for us.

“Burnham is a difficult place to go, as anyone who’s been there this season will know. They don’t have a lot of money and the pitch isn’t the best. But credit to them, we’ve been in that position where it’s all dried up and it’s not nice.

“We’ve had some negative results, but a performance like this galvanises everyone. It’s amazing what a win does. Everyone is smiling again.

“The chairman’s sticking with me and I’m sticking with the players. They performed to the best of their ability today.”

On Lee’s contribution, Hollick added: “I look at Tony and always think he is going to score. He and Sherbs are going to be a handful for a lot of defences.

“Jack Alexander, our other Eastleigh lad, bossed the middle of the park with Neil Williams and the contribution of Nick Watts and young Jake Rawkins out wide was excellent.

“Let’s hope we can keep up the good work at Swindon Supermarine on Saturday.”

Totton are hosting a Firework Night Spectacular this Friday (November 6, 6pm). Tickets (£5 adults, £3 U16s, £14 family of two adults, two U16s) are available from the Testwood Stadium bar or by emailing chairman@afctotton.com

Wimborne remain three points behind Totton in 20th after a 3-0 home win over Wantage Town, courtesy of Carl Preston, Jamie Davidson and Morgan Turner.