Brett Whaley has 11,890 reasons to be happy about March Town’s FA Cup run.

That is the amount of money the Hares have pocketed from their exploits in the famous competition.

The Step 6 locals bowed out at the second qualifying round stage last night (Wednesday) when being beaten 3-0 by a Kingstonian side who play three levels further up the non-league ladder.

It was actually the second FA Cup exit for Whaley's men as they were beaten 3-1 at Grays Athletic in the previous round earlier this month.

But the Essex side were then thrown out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player which meant March were reinstated and handed the chance to take on Kingstonian.

They kept the Isthmian League Premier Division side at bay until five minutes before half time.

Kingstonian then doubled their lead midway through the second half and the Surrey side claimed a third goal in stoppage time.

March earned another £2,250 in prize money last night to add to the £9,640 gained in the three previous rounds which gives them a near £12,000 windfall from this competition.

"I can't emphasise enough how valuable the money is for a club at level," said Hares chief Whaley.

"It's a massive boost and we'll look to invest it wisely as we continue to move forward on and off the field.

"I'm really proud of the way we competed against Kingstonian as well. They are a very good side who played with quick passing and movement.

"We set up to contain them and managed to do that for almost all the first half, but the pressure was relentless at times and we fell behind just before half-time.

"We were brave in the way we played in the second half which was great to see against such high calibre opposition.

"We were very tired by the time they scored the third goal at the end which made the final scoreline a bit harsh on us when you consider the amount of work put in.

"We had nightmare journeys both ways too. We got held up and didn't make it to the ground until 7.15pm which certainly didn't help our preparations, and we didn't get back to March until 2.30am on the way home.

"But overall it has been a great experience in the FA Cup for everyone connected to the club."

March are still involved in the FA Vase after also coming through the opening two rounds of that competition.