Wisbech Town boss Luke Hipwell felt his side deserved at least a point from their trip to Harleston Town after a late winner condemned the Fenmen to a frustrating 2-1 defeat.

The Fenmen left empty-handed after Jake Reed struck in the 84th minute, despite an improved second-half display that had given Hipwell hope of extending his side’s impressive recent league run.

Connor Deeks put Harleston ahead before Luke Harris equalised a minute before the break, but Reed’s late intervention handed Wisbech their second league defeat in three games.

And while Hipwell admitted the hosts had dominated the opening half-hour, he felt his players had shown enough character and quality to take something from the contest.

“I thought second half we were good value for at least a point, to be honest,” said Hipwell.

“Based on the game, I think a draw was a fair result, considering their dominance for the first 30 minutes.

“But I also thought the final-third opportunities we had in the second half were really good. We were a lot braver.

“We were brave enough to step into one-on-one situations and put them under pressure as opposed to being passive.”

Hipwell was particularly disappointed with the manner of Harleston’s opener, which came from a set-piece after Wisbech failed to track a runner.

“We pride ourselves on not conceding from set-pieces,” he admitted.

“It’s a great header from their number six, but the disappointing thing is that we’ve lost a runner.”

Despite being second best for much of the opening period, Wisbech rallied before the interval, with Joe Cole striking the woodwork from a free-kick before Harris restored parity.

Hipwell praised the resilience of his players, particularly after they had weathered sustained pressure from the hosts.

“I thought our resilience was brilliant in the first half and that just shows the characters we’ve got in the team now,” he said.

“We’ve got younger lads who are growing and who have gone through some tough times in terms of results. We know how to dig in.”

The Wisbech boss also highlighted individual performances, praising Joe Cole’s display and the contribution of substitute Will Moxon.

Although disappointed by the result, Hipwell was keen to put the setback into perspective, pointing to six victories from the Fenmen’s previous eight league fixtures.

“Look, disappointing, we move on. It’s still six wins in the league from the last eight games. It’s more than a two-point average,” he said.

“Harleston will be up there, they’re a decent side.”

Wisbech now turn their attention to next Saturday’s home clash with Woodbridge, with Hipwell hoping to welcome back some of his injured players.

“We need to regroup, get some bodies back and be ready for Saturday,” he added.

Wisbech Town: Elsom, Falcao, Cole, Saunders, Mattless, Miller, Pywell, Peters, Lennon, Barker, Harris. Subs: Moxon, Seales, Adelu, Smith.