Huntingdon boss Ian Edge admitted his team fell apart at the first whistle last Saturday when thumped 5-1 by Deeping at Jubilee Park.

Huntingdon had performed with great credit three days earlier when pushing title-chasing Holbeach to the limit (they eventually lost 3-2 after conceding deep into stoppage time) but there was no repeat of that performance in this United Counties League Premier Division rout.

They were already three goals adrift against Deeping by the time influential midfielder Luke Kennedy was dismissed in the first-half for a studs-up challenge.

Edge said: “We looked the part in the warm-up, but that is as good as it got because we fell apart in the game.

“We just weren’t at the races and I can’t even pretend the sending-off had a big impact as the result would probably have been the same even if we had 11 men throughout.”

Ben Colmer hit Huntingdon’s consolation against Deeping when finding the net for the second successive match. He had also struck against Holbeach as Town twice levelled only to be undone by a late sucker-punch.

Striker Charley Sanders was the other scorer that night in what may have been his last game for the club.

Edge was left so short of attacking players last Saturday that he had to turn to an old pal to fill an attacking void.

Mark Paul, a prolific non-league marksman who had a short spell at Southampton in years gone by, answered an SOS but the 36 year-old is unlikely to feature regularly.

“I had to go to Mark to help me out because I’m so short of players in attack,” continued Edge. “He hasn’t played in non-league for a few years and he works as a scout for Everton so won’t be available too often.

“It looks like Charley has moved on and I was already looking for a striker and a couple of wingers before that happened.

“I’ve got a few feelers out but it is proving difficult to persuade players to move at this stage of the season.”

Edge has bolstered his defence with the captures of Andres Gutierrez Pantiga – a former Soham central defender – and left-back Sam Newman, who was spotted playing in the Peterborough area. They both made their debuts against Deeping.

Huntingdon were due to travel to Potton last night (Tuesday) in a Hinchingbrooke Cup quarter-final. They go to Wellingborough in the Premier Division on Saturday.