After their excellent start to the season, Sittingbourne face a tough-looking trip to Thamesmead Town on Sunday afternoon.

Thamesmead have won both their previous Bostik League home matches this season, and at the same time have won through two rounds of the FA Cup with a couple of impressive victories. But Sittingbourne, too, are in top form and currently stand second in the league table, having won three and drawn the other two of their opening league games.

That form continued on Tuesday night when they beat Faversham Town 2-1 in the Kent Reliance Kent Senior Cup, taking their record in league and cup games this season to just the one defeat in eight games. Gil Carvalho and Bola Dawodu got the goals in this game, Bola’s winner against his old club putting him top of the Sittingbourne goalscorers’ list for this season with three.

Both teams changed their normal sides around for Tuesday’s county cup derby, and Sittingbourne were able to rest stalwarts Ben Gorham, Kane Rowland and Kane Phillip from their starting line-up. They gave debuts to new signings John Coker and Jordayne Henry, and eased midfielder Tyrone Guthrie back into action as a second half sub after he was injured in the match against Ashford on Bank Holiday Monday.

Their outstanding start to the season has been continued without injured pair Laurence Ball and Miles Cornwell, two players who with their experience of football at a higher level would have been expected to be vital to this season’s new-look side. The win at Faversham continued the good mood engendered by last Saturday’s excellent win over Whyteleafe, Sittingbourne fighting back from an early goal down to win through Kane Rowland and Tom Loynes’ wonder goal.

While Sittingbourne were revelling in that win, Thamesmead were winning 3-0 at home to Lewes in the FA Cup. Thamesmead are new to the South Division this season after years in the North section, criss-crossing the Dartford crossing every other week, except for the one year they progressed to the Premier Division, in 2013, before getting relegated back again.

That year was the last time Sittingbourne and Thamesmead played each other, when they were paired together in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup. Sittingbourne won 2-1 with the winning goal headed in by none other than Nick Davis, who had been appointed joint manager with Matt Wyatt just the week before.

One other current Sittingbourne player was in action that day, Tommy Loynes having to take over as goalkeeper when No 1 Adam Molloy was sent off. And a very good job he made of it as stand-in keeper.

This Sunday’s match is being played at Dartford’s Princes Park stadium and kicks-off at 2pm.