'We got what we deserved' – that was Diss Town manager Michael King's opinion after his side exited the Norfolk Senior Cup at the hands of lower-league Caister on Saturday.

The Tangerines headed into the third-round contest at Brewers Green Lane on the back of a 2-1 victory over Bradenham Wanderers the previous Friday. It was a deserved win on the night, yet King had warned his troops that the performance would need to improve against the Lifeboatmen if they were to advance into the quarter-finals.

But it was a message his players failed to heed, especially in a first half that left the boss particularly disappointed. There was improvement for a period after the restart, though ultimately it was the visitors who ran out 2-1 winners.

"We got what we deserved, purely on the first-half performance," said King. "I'd say that first half is probably the worst we've been since I've been at the club and it's not up to the standard we've set or the one required to win games at this level.

"The players were made aware of that at half-time and they must have agreed because the second half was more of what we're about. We were on the front foot, looked threatening in behind and when we equalised I thought there was only going to be one winner.

"But they still posed a threat while we seemed to fizzle out. They got a second goal and after that it was a bit like the first half – we never really looked like scoring again."

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The defeat has ended Diss' 2020/21 campaign, although they will continue to train during the weeks to come as King steps up plans for next season.

* For more from the Diss manager, see Friday's Express print edition.