HOW AFC Totton must hate the sight of unbeaten Zamaretto South & West leaders Sholing.

For a third time this season, the Stags lost to their fierce local rivals last night as a blistering Barry Mason strike and a Ryan Ashford penalty sentenced them to a 2-0 league defeat in front of a 285 Portsmouth Road crowd. It leaves Dave Diaper’s buoyant Boatmen an awesome nine points clear at the top of the table – and 12 ahead of fourth-placed Totton, who have two games in hand.

“We didn’t play that well, but the difference was the finishing,” said proud Sholing manager Dave Diaper.

“Totton created four or five clear chances, but they squandered them and I thought our keeper Lee Webber was tremendous.

Full story and football round-up in today's Daily Echo “It was another honest, gritty display by us. We’ve played better but it was all about the workrate again.

“That’s nine clean sheets in the league. It says it all.”