Martin Ling was disappointed with players' performance in losing 2-0 to Kettering, and called for them to respond positively ahead of next week's match at Luton.

Reflecting on a game that saw United fall behind to a Wayne Hatswell own goal after 90 seconds, then have a lot of possession before conceding a second goal right at the death, Ling said: "It was disappointing in the first and last minutes.

"Danny Crow has had a great chance there in the last minute, and then they go up the other end on the break and score. Overall it was probably a '1-1' game, but we didn't play as well as I know we can and they punished us."

The windy conditions caused havoc for both teams, but Kettering seemed to come to terms with the gusts better, particularly in the second period.

Ling said: "We spoke to them at half-time about trying to get at them down the sides rather than go over them. In the first half I don't think we tested them enough, there weren't enough diagonal passes across their defence. In the second half I think we did that a bit better, but it still wasn't really good enough.

"We know what they're all about - they're a big, hardworking side who rely a lot on set pieces, and they made it difficult for us. We'd spoken about their throw ins and corners as well, so to go 1-0 down in the first minute after a long throw is disappointing as well."

Looking ahead to next Saturday's trip to high-flying Luton, Ling said: "It's a shame to start what is a difficult period for us with a defeat, but we've talked to them in there about what they've done wrong in this game. We'll get out on the training pitch next week and work hard like we always do, and look for a good reaction.

"We'll come back in on Monday morning and start working towards the Luton match, which will be another difficult one," he concluded.

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