Tuesday’s point at Littlehampton Town may have all but guaranteed Sittingbourne a place in play-off football for the first time in the Club’s history, but boss Ryan Maxwell has challenged his players to perform in their last four games of the season to ensure a third placed finish in the Isthmian South East and at least a home semi-final. 

Saturday sees Sittingbourne host Lancing, who can now only match the Brickies points total of 68 Isthmian South East points, at the Roman Stadium, Woodstock with a goal difference of just plus three as opposed to the home sides impressive plus forty-two! 

The Brickies proud unbeaten away League record went with a 3-0 reverse at Three Bridges last weekend, and the manager admitted, “It was a disappointing afternoon on Saturday, and I have apologised to the supporters who made the trip.

“Our performance second half was not good enough, we could have come in at the break a couple of goals to the good when we were the better team. It is a game of ninety minutes and not forty-five and we were nowhere near it second half.

“I gave an opportunity to some players who needed to be seen in the positions that they may find themselves in at the crucial moments coming up. I have let them play in there and I learned a lot, the management team have learned a lot in terms of who we play and play where!

“Saturday was the day for that as I wanted to try a few guys in certain positions and give a few of them an opportunity, I had to give it a go at some point, and we got caught over ninety minutes because of it. Hopefully going forward we will be better for it.” 

“You really do learn more about your team when you lose, sometimes you keep winning and all seems OK no matter who plays; momentum takes you through, people are in form, you defend well, and strikers get you over the line!

“With what’s ahead of us I needed to tinker and have a look at “Plan C” if you like” Maxwell added, “and that Plan C will never now be Plan A ever again!” 

“We cannot just play well for forty-five minutes; we must play well for ninety-five or even one hundred and five as we were in the ninety-fifth against Horndean on Good Friday. I needed to see the team we put out last week do it over that period of time, I now know that it cannot do it and we will be better for that.” 

“We then went to Littlehampton on Tuesday, and we got the point we needed to all but confirm our play-off place on a very solid pitch. Gabby (Piorkowski) got his first goal for the Club, into his own net, it came out of absolutely nowhere! But we showed great character and responded really well, and we were all delighted when Gabby hit one in the right net to give us a point.” 

“I need to make sure that I am getting the right men on the pitch for when it really matters.” Maxwell confessed as the Brickies go into the weekend still needing seven points to guarantee a home semi-final in the post season with four games to play.