WINCHESTER City winged their way up to second in the Southern One South & West by completing a successful revenge mission at Didcot Town.

Stung by January's 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Railwaymen, the Citizens edged a feisty return encounter 2-1 at Loop Meadow yesterday after both sides had been reduced to ten men.

The flashpoint came shortly before half-time when City centre-back Rob Flooks and Didcot goalkeeper Leigh Bedwell got their marching orders with the game still goalless.

Flooks caught the keeper while trying to prevent him throwing the ball out and Bedwell retaliated by chucking the ball at the nearest person, who just happened to be Winchester’s Zach Glasspool.

The pair were dismissed, Glasspool picked up a booking for retaliation and, with no sub keeper on the bench, Didcot’s top scorer Mark Janes donned the gloves.

With right-back Jake Newton moving across into central defence, City gave Adam ‘Taz’ Roberts licence to push on from right-back and took the lead shortly after the break with another exquisite strike from top scorer Warren Bentley – his 42nd in all competitions.

This time the little wizard conjured up a magical 25-yarder that went in off the post.

City’s young, Canadian goalkeeper Brendan Norris had outstanding afternoon but was finally beaten on 73 minutes by a curling Matt Woodley free-kick into the top corner.

Both sides pushed for the winner and it was Winchester – energised by the fresh legs of sub Craig Feeney – who got it when Didcot failed to clear an 86th-minute corner and, as the ball came back into a crowded goalmouth, Matt Benham tucked it away.

Eight minutes were added at the end of a stop-start game and when George Reid threatened to equalise for Didcot, that man Norris snuffed him out.

The result ended the Railwaymen’s unbeaten start to 2016 while extending City’s winning streak in all competitions to seven games.

“Fantastic! A great team performance,” smiled Winchester boss Paul Masters.

“Didcot are a decent, hard-working side who, for me, are in a bit of a false position (10th). But we’ve got a good group, they stuck together and deserved what they got.

“Leigh Mills was outstanding, young Brendan’s done his job – there are not many better shot-stoppers in this league - and when Jake Newton went to centre-half, we left Taz a bit further forward because I felt we could get at Didcot," Masters explained.

“Taz had to come off with sciatica, but he’ll be okay for Marlow (away, Tuesday).”

Mills is unavailable for that midweek trip, as is Charlie Smeeton.

With AFC Totton’s game against table-topping Cinderford rained off, Winchester are just three points behind the leaders having played two games more.

“Cinderford haven’t played since our game against them got called off and, as we’ve found, if you lose two or three weeks of football, the sharpness goes,” said Masters. “We’re far better when we’re regularly playing Saturday-Tuesday.”