ANGRY manager Peter Jackson tore a strip off his players after Saturday's disappointing 2-2 draw at Harrogate Town.

Despite a Pawel Abbott penalty and Chris Brandon's spectacular first goal for the club giving them a 2-1 advantage until four minutes from time, Town conceded a soft equaliser to Harrogate substitute Lee Morris.

By then, Jackson had sent on trialist Akpo Sodje and Joe Walsh for Abbott and Lee Fowler - trialist Steve Haslam played the whole game in midfield - and Town had missed some decent chances to make the game safe.

"It was a poor performance and, to be fair, we deserved to get beaten," fumed Jackson.

"We didn't turn up, we didn't compete and we were poor from start to finish.

"It was easily the poorest pre-season game we've had and I was disappointed with the attitude of some of the players.

"I thought we had enough experience on the field to do better than we did."

A crowd of 704 at Wetherby Road - the majority visitors - watched Abbott miss a good early chance before firing Town ahead from the penalty spot on 19 minutes following handball.

The lead lasted only six minutes, however, as Marc Smith equalised after Phil Senior had parried a cross-cum-shot from centre-back Simon Sturdy.

Town were back in front in fantastic style two minutes before the break - Fowler battling for the ball before Brandon, spotting keeper Paul Pettinger off his line, scored with an incredible lob from the centre circle.

Excellent work by Sturdy prevented Abbott extending the lead from a Nat Brown pass on 47 minutes, while Sodje - just four minutes after going on - was denied by a brilliant block tackle from Lee Wood.

Then, five minutes from time, Pettinger brought back memories of the play-off final when making a brilliant fingertip save to keep out a right-foot drive from Anthony Lloyd. It was barely a minute later that Morris equalised, following a mix-up between Senior and John McCombe, and Jackson commented:

"I'm disappointed with the goals we're letting in.

"We've conceded against Emley, Ossett Town, Bradford Park Avenue and now Harrogate Town when we ought to be keeping clean sheets."

Town - Senior, Ahmed, Lloyd, Clarke, McCombe, Brown, Fowler (Walsh 65), Haslam, Abbott (A Sodje 65), Brandon, McAliskey.