Winchester City dug deep into their reserves of strength to chisel out a 3-0 victory at Hamble ASSC and stay top of the league on goal difference.

Playing their fifth game in a torturous ten-day spell, the weary FA finalists produced a first-half peformance to warm the heart of their concerned manager Neil Hards.

There had been signs in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Totton that tired legs were catching up with City, but Hamble learned to their cost that you can't keep a class act down.

The leaders took just four minutes to forge ahead when Shaun Dyke cut inside from the left and unleashed a right-foot shot which deflected over keeper Nick O'Donnell.

Steve Tate extended the lead on 22 minutes, sprinting in at the near post to head in Gary Funnell's corner for his seventh goal in a Winchester shirt.

Five minutes later, City's aerial threat paid off again when midfielder Gary Green got up to head Dyke's far-post delivery across the keeper.

Hards said: "We were much, much better today. In the first half we kept possession and passed the ball around a lot better than we've been doing recently. It's the best we've played for three or four games.

"We've looked a bit shabby and jaded, but we always knew it was going to be difficult with so many games to fit in.

"It's a real credit to our players that they keep themselves as fit as they do."

City now have a welcome four-day break before Saturday's crunch trip to title rivals Wimborne Town, who had two players sent off in their 2-1 Dorset derby win at Portland.

Darren Powell rattled in both Magpies' goals from the penalty spot, but then he gave one away in the last minute and got red-carded for foul and abusive language with the score at 2-1.

That reduced Wimborne to nine men with Gary Clark having already taken his leave for an alleged elbow offence, but keeper Stewart Kearn came to the rescue with a last-gasp penalty save.

"It wasn't a dirty game, but the referee's interpretation of situations made it that way," said Magpies boss Paul Arnold.