In a week that has seen his side reach the last eight of the Isuzu FA Trophy before dropping vital Isthmian South East points in midweek, Sittingbourne this weekend head for Sussex to play Steyning Town Community, with boss Ryan Maxwell hoping his side can keep the pressure on leaders Ramsgate. 

“We had an unbelievable day at the weekend,” Maxwell said reflecting on his side’s giant-killing heroics at Southend. “It was incredible, the boys were mentally drained at the end and the euphoria takes a lot out of you as well.” 

“Then to go to a completely different environment on Tuesday at Erith, I was well aware that the players might be tired after a colossal effort at the weekend.

“I thought the boys played very well on a very difficult pitch, there was very little football played on it. We went from a very big flat nice pitch on Saturday to a very small, sticky and little grass and difficult pitch on Tuesday!

“We were jaded but still it was a good performance that allowed very little football, and it was gutting to concede in the last minute as it would have been three great points, we had to settle for one, but if you’d have told me last week that we would go and beat Southend at Southend and drew on the Tuesday, I would have ripped your arm out of the socket!” 

“We are twenty-nine games unbeaten still which is the best in the county I believe – we’re twenty-four in the League which is the joint best, it’s phenomenal form the boys are in, the consistency they are showing and they will have to keep that up, it’s as simple as that and it’s my job to push and drive and steer the ship. At the minute I am very pleased as to how we are sailing it!” 

Central defender Jack Steventon was forced off by injury at Erith on Tuesday; Maxwell explained what happened.

“It was the worst part of midweek to be fair, it made the result secondary! Stevo has been incredible for us, hes been in tremendous form; we’re all gutted for him, all the players were. He was in considerable pain for a while.

“Luckily, he’s seeing a specialist before the weekend and we have already arranged for him to get physiotherapy after that depending on the analysis and diagnosis… his knee popped out and was put back in,” the Brickies boss winced, “but the thing is that when that happens there will be some damage done, we will wait and hear what has happened and get him on the road to recovery. Absolutely gutted for Stevo and we’re praying he’s not out too long!” 

The Brickies do have a ready-made replacement in their squad who himself is coming back to fitness after himself breaking his leg towards the end of last season.

Michael Turner has been getting match fit playing for Saffron Waldren Town and Maxwell said, “We’ve been keeping tabs on Mike as hes been getting his minutes in that’s for sure. It is an option to bring him back; it just depends on the squad itself and what shape we are adapting.

“It’s great to have Mike as the option as he has been on his recovery road and been getting those games in to make him ready for us. We will take stock before the weekend and may even bring someone in as well! We have good players at the club and have a tremendous defensive record and if we wanted a ready-made replacement, Mike Turner would be it!” 

The Brickies head off to one of their longest trips of the season at the weekend to Steyning. “Playing on a 4g after the week we have had, is why winning this league will be our greatest achievement if we can – three different environments and surfaces in a week – there is the “unknown” factor as well as we’ve never been there before. But it’s a game of football; 11v11 on an astroturf and we have done that many times this season. We train on one and we will be well prepared that’s for sure.” 

Looking to the weekend, Maxwell told us that, “There may be an addition before Saturday,” whilst the manager told us that Richie Hamill’s return, after his wife gave birth last weekend may not be on Saturday, and whilst Steventon is clearly out another of Saturday’s heroes – keeper Rocco Rees – will return to the squad and has committed himself to the Brickies for the rest of the season.