A last-gasp goal denied battling Ardeer a point in their first competitive game for seven weeks.
The Stevenston side looked set for a share of the spoils after Scott Reid’s second half penalty cancelled out Thomas Donovan’s opener.
But Winton sub David Orr earned the hosts all three points with an instinctive volley in the final minute to leave Del Gemmell’s men gutted.
Referee Elliot Husband-Powton added to the drama by sending Winton midfielder Lee Davidson off for inflammatory celebrations at the goal.
Sixty seconds later, the whistler blew for full time with Ardeer unable to capitalise on their brief numerical advantage.
The game was one of only three in the West to beat the freeze and it took a while for the action to heat up as both sides sussed each other out in the opening exchanges.
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Winton striker Thomas Donovan sniffed out the first chance in 15 minutes, finding space in the box to flick Davidson’s low cross towards goal but Ardeer defender Adam Easdon stuck out a toe to deflect the ball wide.
Two minutes later, Ardeer striker Lee Munro skipped past three men on his way to the edge of the Winton box only to then slice an effort well off target.
Back at the other end, Alan Muir clipped the top of Ardeer’s crossbar direct form a corner kick.
The visitors looked threatening on the counter attack and they should have made more of one lightening quick breakaway in 27 minutes.
Ryan Morrow’s burst down the right flank left Winton struggling for cover at the back but the winger overhit his pass in behind for Munro and keeper Bryan Tucker collected.
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Munro was then presented with a golden opportunity to give the visitor’s the lead when Matthew Stevenson’s hooked clearance near the touchline sent him through on Tucker but he delayed pulling the trigger, allowing Winton player-manager Bryan Slavin to muscle him off the ball.
It was a wake-up call for the home side and they went on to dominate the last 15 minutes of the first half.
A long ball out of defence left Donovan with only McCann to beat and he rounded the keeper only to see his goal-bound effort booted to safety by Jamie Donnelly.
Winton finally made the breakthrough four minutes before the interval when Davidson wriggled free of a series of challenges on the left and fired in a low cross that the unmarked Donovan side footed into the net from six yards.
Buoyed by the goal, Winton took the game to the visitors in the second half and Davidson shot over the bar from the left side of the penalty area with Donovan screaming for a cut back.
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Both sides made changes on the hour mark and Winton sub Jamie McKenna came close to doubling his side’s lead when he powered a header narrowly over the bar in 67 minutes.
Ardeer were under the cosh but they were gifted a way back into the game in 70 minutes when Slavin recklessly bundled Munro over just inside the box and Powton pointed to the spot.
Reid sent Tucker the wrong way from 12 yards to level the scores and leave Ardeer on course for a precious point.
Tempers flared when Donnelly reacted badly to a late challenge by McKenna, the defender and Slavin both picking up yellow cards for their part in a 14-man melee.
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Winton pressed hard for a winner, and McKenna tried his luck with an overhead kick that was straight at McCann as the clock ticked down.
Then in the dying seconds of the 90 minutes, Ardeer failed to clear their lines at a throw in and Orr reacted quickest, volleying a bouncing ball into the top corner to seal all three points for promotion chasing Winton.