Interim Manager Scott Rogers named the same starting eleven as he did at Poole Town last Saturday, and the same substitutes except for Lulke Skinner who was recalled by Bristol City.

It was also a significant day for midfielder James Dodd, who made his 200th appearance for the club.

Today’s contest in Hampshire was played in extremely blustery conditions, but Weston started with the wind in their sails as Callum Wood found himself in space on the left, and his cross was headed just wide by top scorer Louis Britton.

The promising start continued and The Seagulls took the lead when Sam Pearson played in Will Dawes, who nudged the ball across the penalty area into the path of Luke Coulson, who turned and tucked the ball home with his left foot into the corner of the net past Ryan Gosney.

Max Harris made two routine stops to deny Stags’ dangerman Tony Lee as Weston were defending well, however Totton were to equalise with a controversial goal after 31 minutes.

Emlyn Lewis played the ball forward but was caught by a flailing elbow from a Totton forward. Lewis went down following the hefty challenge, but the officials waved play on despite the obvious head injury to the Weston captain, and with The Seagulls exposed at the back Ashley Clarke was able to run through and roll the ball past Harris.

Weston tried to get themselves back in front as Wood played in Britton, who knocked the ball into the path of Pearson but he fired over, before Harris made another comfortable save from Craig Tanner before the end of the half.

HALF-TIME: AFC Totton 1-1 Weston-super-Mare AFC

The difficult conditions continued to have an effect on the game at the start of the second-half, as both sides received yellow cards in a scrappy opening fifteen minutes.

To Weston’s cost, another yellow card ultimately swung the game in Totton’s favour as Wood was adjudged to have brought Clarke down in the area. Referee Lewis Smith pointed to the spot, and to rub salt into the wounds Smith also issued Wood with a second yellow and an early bath.

Up stepped Scott Rendell and he sent Harris the wrong way from 12 yards to make Weston’s task even harder.

Weston went in search of an equaliser but were unfortunately caught out at the back as Clarke was able to use the extra space to his advantage, he ran goalwards and fired the ball across Harris and into the net.

The Seagulls kept plugging away as Totton seemed happy to sit back. Lewis’ ball in from the right wasn’t dealt with by Gosney and Dodd hit the crossbar, the closest Weston came to scoring in the second-half.

Dodd then threaded the ball through to Britton, who did well to get in behind the home defence but Gosney saved again, and the home shotstopper also managed to deal with Jason Pope’s late 30 yard effort.

In the end it was a rare defeat for The Seagulls, as lady luck certainly wasn’t on Weston’s side today.

Despite only losing for the second time this season, we can now look forward to next Saturday’s FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie with Needham Market.

FULL-TIME: AFC Totton 3-1 Weston-super-Mare AFC (Clarke 31′, 69′, Rendell pen 61′; Coulson 8′)

Weston: Harris, Smith, Lewis, Avery (Pope 74′), Wood, Jagger Cane (Hicks 74′), Dodd, Dawes (Martin 85″), Coulson (Waite 74′), Pearson, Britton

Unused substitute: Glover, Woods

Attendance: 1,379

Man of the Match: James Dodd. Another solid performance from the former Exeter City midfielder, so reliable and consistent in his four years with The Seagulls.