MARCH Town United boss Brett Whaley bemoaned his side’s worst performance of pre-season after the Hares limped to a 2-2 draw against Deeping Rangers Reserves last night.

The Hares - whose impressive preparations have included a win over rivals Wisbech Town - were left reeling after a slow start saw them trailing 2-0 at the break, with captain Luke Pepper also missing a penalty.

March hit back early in the second half, with two goals in 10 minutes. In-form striker Stu Anderson bagged his fifth in three games and Ash Brand continued his return to fitness with a well-taken finish.

But the Hares failed to find a winner, leaving manager Whaley disappointed. “It was our poorest performance of pre-season and it was a long way from where we need to be,” said the March boss.

“We had no energy and no pace to our game. There wasn’t any positives to come out of the first half and that’s a shame after such a good start.

“For the first 10 minutes of the second half we played at the level we expect. We scored two but then took our foot off the pedal again.

“The disappointing thing is that, out of 90 minutes, we played to the level we expect for 10 minutes. It’s nowhere near good enough and we knew that.

“We have got potential but it’s nothing more than that at the moment. We have the potential to beat anyone in the league but we also have the potential to lose to anyone in the league.”

March continue their preparations for a new campaign in the Ridgeons First Division with a friendly against Sleaford Town on Tuesday night.