Sittingbourne welcome Erith Town to the Staxson Stadium, Woodstock on Saturday still seven points behind Isthmian Southeast leaders Ramsgate with games left beginning to run out fast with manager Ryan Maxwell keen to keep the pressure on.
Boss Ryan Maxwell will not be taking Adam Woodwards side lightly as following a great first season at this level, the Dockers are safe and sound in mid-table but any thoughts that the Brickies will not being expecting a tough afternoon with the thought that Erith may already “be on the beach”, was thrown out by Maxwell immediately when KSN caught up with the Irishman this week.
“For those who may think that Erith may be on their holidays already after having a good season in their first at this level, please don’t!” Maxwell said.
“Our last home game against Eastbourne who are in a similar comfortable position, it does bring its own problems that you have to be totally aware of which is that they can be relaxed and playing with no pressure, playing with no-fear and just enjoying their game with nothing to play for.
“We will have to approach the game ourselves like a cup final and indeed the four remaining games after that. I am sure that Erith will give us a good game on Saturday, and I am expecting that they won’t be a team on their “holidays” already, they will be a team coming to give us a game and we must make sure that we are as focused as we usually are!”
“They may have been inconsistent in their total form but that makes my job more difficult as we don’t know which we will get this weekend. We have had to prepare for their best version and not a version that has been up and down, we will prepare for their very best and have trained hard all week – every game is a cup final for us at the moment and Saturday is the next one and the most important one!”
Looking at some comments that his side had “only” scored three goals against lowly Eastbourne and Lancing in their most recent games, Maxwell told us, “There could easily have been more goals in our last two games we know that, but I am not worried about the “goals” that didn’t go in – I would be more worried if the chances hadn’t been created.
“We hit the woodwork five times against Eastbourne and at Lancing their keeper was Man of the Match; I just hope that we are saving the goals up – you can only win three points regardless of the number of goals you do score and after scoring over one hundred League goals, I don’t think we can complain too much.”
“Ultimately, we must make sure that we keep doing what we are doing as there is nothing we can do about Ramsgate until we play them again on the last day of the season.
“We have to keep going to try and catch them, but if we can’t we have to go another route – it’s something that is very much in my mind that either/or will be good enough and so it’s all about making sure that we are correct mentally and preparing for each game the same way that we have every single game that we have played this season, the same way we always have, one at a time and anything could happen in football as we all know.
“We must make sure that we take care of ourselves first and that means three points Saturday.”