Philip John scored the extra-time winner as Didcot Town clinched promotion to the Premier Division with 2-1 victory against AFC Totton in Saturday's Division 1 South & West play-off final at Testwood Park.

It completed a remarkable week for the Railwaymen, who beat the division’s top-three in the space of a week, Truro, Windsor and Totton – and all away from home.

Although John will get the headlines, victory was based on some excellent defending from Didcot – in which skipper Jamie Heapy and Andy Williams were outstanding – and some poor finishing by the hosts.

Didcot, who named the same line-up for the third game in succession, started confidently, with Michael Bartley denied by keeper Gareth Barfoot, who was allowed to play despite being sent off after Tuesday's play-off semi-final against Beaconsfield.

After John fired over, Totton’s James Taylor twice spurned chances to add to his 28-goal haul, first firing straight at Didcot keeper Matt Trott, before seconds later seeing his lob go wide.

Didcot were under the cosh, though Ross Bottomley was lucky to escape punishment after leading with his elbow in a challenge with Jack King.

The midfielder then had a great chance to give Didcot the lead, but headed over after good work from Bartley and Josh Dutton-Black, who impressed on the left wing on his return to his old club.

Didcot were unlucky not to score when an attempted clearance from Barfoot was charged down by Elliott Osbourne-Ricketts, only for the ball to go wide of a post.

Minutes later, Osbourne-Ricketts blasted wide, before Carl Pettefer, one of two ex-Oxford United players in Totton's line-up – the other being Matt Robinson – shot over.

Didcot took the lead on 39 minutes when keeper Barfoot allowed Williams to head home Dutton-Black's cross, after the keeper had denied him minutes earlier.

After the break, Trott made a brave save at the feet of Taylor as Totton turned up the pressure.

On 58 minutes, Didcot had claims for a penalty rejected when Dutton-Black was brought down.

Totton levelled on 66 minutes when Justin Bennett fired home folowing a long kick from Barfoot.

Robinson twice went close, before Bennett and Taylor wasted chances as the game went into extra-time.

Six minutes into the first period of extra-time, John got the winner after Bartley set him up from Powell’s pass.

Trott denied Nathaniel Sherbourne in the second-half of extra-time.

Two minutes from time, Trott kept out Taylor's close-range effort as Totton threw everyone forward, but Didcot held on to reach the Southern League’s top-flight for the first time.

Didcot Tn: Trott, Heapy, Powell, Williams, Parrott, Mortimer-Jones, John, King, Bartley, Osbourne-Ricketts (Jack 87), Dutton-Black (Hopkins 72). Subs not used: Watkins, Bruce, Midwinter.

Referee: R Ganfield (G Muge 78 injury).

Attendance: 1,123.