NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL: March Town pegged back after the nerves kicked in
Recent March Town recruit Danny Emmington challenges the Lakenheath goalkeeper. Picture: IAN CARTER - Credit: Archant
A match that had the ingredients for a classic turned out to be an underwhelming affair last Saturday.
March Town were held to a 1-1 draw by Lakenheath in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division clash at the GER.
Only in the final 13 minutes did the game become most interesting,as heavy passes and wayward touches dominated proceedings.
Had Jack Gould’s 84th minute equaliser not found the bottom left corner for the visitors, it may have been an undeserved victory for March. Instead it was a result that reflected the even balance of play.
David Jackson’s header following a pinpoint cross from debutant Mohammed Hamza - a former Peterborough United youngster - gave the hosts a 77th minute advantage - a lead that should not have been too precarious.
Speaking after the game, Hares boss Brett Whaley said: “When 1-0 up you need to see it out and unfortunately we didn’t do that.
“We could have been looking at three points despite a poor performance and that’s something the boys have got to learn to do.”
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It was a first half to forget with Jack Friend having the clearest sight of goal for March, but his cross from a tight angle failed to find a team-mate inside the penalty area.
Lakenheath did threaten at times. Top-scorer Kelvin Enaro tested the concentration of Hares goalkeeper Simon Dalton before a short back-pass nearly ended in disaster but for some fine bravery from Dalton.
Andre Williams, another player making his Hares debut after arriving from Step 4 side Peterborough Sports, nearly latched onto passes either side of the break and had he managed that he could have turned the tide in the Hares’ favour.
“We got ourselves into a really good position, but the boys got nervous and you don’t win football matches when you’re nervous,” Whaley added.
“We’ve got a very young side and it’s very easy for them to start concentrating on the opposition rather than what they’re doing themselves.
“We were relying on mistakes rather than creating anything, so we asked them to try and get on the ball.
“The reality is, the players had to be braver. They were slightly braver in the second half than the first, but not enough to win the game.”
March remain fourth in the First Division North standings.