BINFIELD came from behind to record an impressive 2-1 win over Wantage Town on Monday night - but they had to do so without manager Mark Tallentire.

The Moles boss was recovering from a minor operation and was unable to attend the match, but that did not stop them beating a side that have only lost twice all season and came into the game on the back of a 10-2 win.

Tallentire was understandably delighted at Monday’s victory but stopped short of saying it was their best win of the season.

Tallentire, who was keeping abreast of the situation via text and Twitter, said: “It was a fantastic result for us. By all accounts Wantage dominated the first half proceedings and deserved to be 1-0 up.

“But the second half belonged to us. We had a little bit of luck when they missed the penalty, that was a nice little bonus because we haven’t had the rub of the green recently.” The Moles have now taken maximum points from the last three games and have kept four clean sheets in the last five, statistics that indicate they have turned the corner following a recent bad run.

In addition, they are into the semi-finals of the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy, and the third round of the FA Vase.

Stuart Catell’s deflected shot looped into the net off a Binfield foot to put Wantage 1-0 up at Hill Farm Lane.

The Moles had to work hard to go into the break just one behind, with Shaun Coker making a couple of smart saves and his attacking colleagues struggling to make an impression.

But the hosts showed a dramatic improvement after the break, and equalised when Callum Whitty dispatched his penalty after Dan Rapley was brought down on the hour mark.

With the match finely poised, Coker had to save Matt Peddler’s free kick while Town scrambled off the line from Adam Cornell.

But the Moles got their noses in front on 72 minutes with a delicate Cornell finish, lobbing a bouncing ball over Steve Howe.

However, lady luck looked down upon Binfield in the final stages as Wantage hit the bar and then missed a penalty with five minutes to go.

The Moles have taken an impressive four points from a possible six against their Oxfordshire rivals after their 1-1 draw earlier in the season, and things are certainly looking up after their fifth successive victory.

“Confidence is back in the dressing room and there’s no bigger example of that than what we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks,” said Tallentire.

“The 1-0 win against Wootton Bassett instilled a bit of confidence and we’ve gradually rebuilt what was shattered.

“When you look back to three weeks ago, we were on the floor, but everybody’s focused and made a real determined effort to change our fortunes around and that’s down to the players.

“We may not be able to win the league, but we can certainly determine where it goes as we’ve still got the top teams to play.” When asked for reasons behind the turnaround, Tallentire cited the introduction of Alex Walton at right back as a key factor in shoring up the defence.

The Moles have also had more continuity at the back and consistent performances from Danny Wing, Callum Whitty, Garry Callaway and Tom Hopper.

Full back Ben Sturgess, who missed a rare game on Monday, has also taken to his midfield role. It was another accomplished performance on Saturday when they beat Abingdon United 3-0.

“We bossed the game from start to finish,” said Tallentire.

Tom Hopper’s first Binfield goal set the Moles on their way after Callum Whitty and Seb Bowerman had already forced saves from Gareth Tucker.

But when Hopper finished smartly as everyone missed Carl Withers’ curling free kick, the Moles never looked back.

In-form Jemel Johnson scored his fifth goal in four matches to double the lead, and it was not long before he got a second, Dan Rapley breaking down the right on 54 minutes and squaring for the striker to calmly side foot into the corner.

Binfield are in Bluefin Sports Hellenic Challenge Cup action at Henley Town this Saturday (3pm ko) before another tough test against high-flying Highmoor Ibis on Monday (7.45pm).