Ryan Maxwell takes his Sittingbourne side to the Sussex coast this weekend hoping to keep the pressure on leaders Ramsgate as we head into a festive period full of local derbies where it’s said form means nothing! 

The Brickies head into Christmas seventeen League games unbeaten having won their last eleven in the League as they closed to within two points of the Rams who are the only side thus far to beat Maxwell’s side in the Isthmian League, all be it way back in August. 

In their first game of the “holiday programme”, the Brickies are heading to face an Eastbourne Town side holding their own in their first season in the division and a side that Maxwell admits, he doesn’t know too much about.

“Don’t know too much about them. I’ve got what I have – a couple of reports – and we’ll work on that. We are away from home too and it’s a bit of a journey to have the Saturday before Christmas, so it will be an early start to make sure we don’t get caught by the Christmas traffic and no doubt be met with a team who are defiant and want to upset us, so we will have to be fully focused and fully prepared!” 

“Every game is important and I mean it when I say that no game is more important than another – every game, the next game, is the most important game that we have.”

“Christmas is a great time for families, but for football managers it is undoubtedly the busiest time – I would like to say that it’s a job that I enjoy during this period, but is just another day at the “office” for me!” 

The Brickies travel after a blank midweek – something that the boss is delighted about!

“It’s been good as we have been able to work on things that we haven’t been able to playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday… it’s been great to have a Tuesday off in preparations for Christmas – there were a few things that we wanted to work on and get done.” 

Maxwell was asked about his side’s great current run; “It’s only when you see other stats and other form guides put under your nose from other people that you realise what form you are in,” the Brickies boss admitted.

“It’s very much a case of finishing one game, boxing it off and moving on to the next game, but if you do that enough times, then that becomes form.”

“I have been told that as it stands going into this weekend, we are the best form team in the country from the Premier League down to our level which is a tremendous achievement and tremendous form to be in.”

“We are in a good place, but it’s really important that we stick to the plan and keep doing what we are doing!” 

“Form like ours certainly puts a target on our backs, but I would much rather be a team in target with a team in form rather than a team are the opposite.”

“When you are trying to be successful then these are scenarios that you want to be in – you want to be up there, but you know that when you are, people want to shoot you down. We’ve been there for a wee while now, so I hope that we understand what it means now to be that team…”