To be harsh, Sittingbourne made too many mistakes on the day and VCD were able to rather easily pick up their first points since before Christmas.

The game featured what was probably the Brickies’ worst 10 minutes of the season during which they conceded two goals and also had Kane Phillip sent off, along with a home player.

Apart from that, and a ghastly error which gifted the home side their first goal, Sittingbourne controlled much of this match without ever reaching anywhere near their best form.

All in all this was a disappointing follow-up to two home wins that had seemed to put them back on track and allowed them to return to the top half of the Bostik South League.

With Chris Elliott and Lex Allan ruled out, Sittingbourne recalled Laurence Ball to their defence and also had Tom Loynes available again as substitute, following his hernia operation.

In dismal, rainy conditions on a rather forlorn and deserted-looking VCD ground, Sittingbourne dominated the opening period without being able to break down a determined home defence. The closest they got in this period was when a VCD defender headed narrowly over his own bar.

VCD, beaten 3-2 at Sittingbourne earlier in the season, hadn’t threatened at all but still took the lead on 37 minutes. Keeper Harry Brooks called for a back pass from Ball but waited for it to roll across his body onto his favoured left foot and, rather embarrassingly, that gave Mfula the chance to get close enough to block the attempted clearance so that it just went straight in the goal.

Sittingbourne don’t have the greatest of records in recent times of hitting back from behind but I really thought they had enough about them to turn it round against these particular opponents.

But their passing was occasionally sloppy, they lost just one too many

50-50 challenges, they didn’t get as many second balls as they should have, and the usually immaculate John Coker had a funny little period where he couldn’t get a thing right.

VCD still hadn’t done much in the game, though they fought determinedly and with commitment, but they went two-up on 56 minutes when defender Baker got in a free header from a free-kick and steered it home.

Worse followed for Sittingbourne a few minutes later as they managed to stop an attack on the edge of their area only for El-Moyhalbel to hit a speculative shot that took a horrible deflection on its way past Brooks.

The game hadn’t restarted when Sittingbourne sub Phillip, who had only been on the pitch a few minutes, got involved in a squabble with the home team’s Awotwi. It looked something and nothing, possibly a yellow card at most, but on the advice of his assistant, the referee sent both players off.

Sittingbourne took the attack to VCD for the rest of the game, but top scorer Kane Rowland was well marshalled, Miles Cornwell blazed over when he did get a chance, and the energetic Sal Kisitu had his shot deflected wide.

They did pull one back after 80 minutes when a corner was only half-cleared and Ben Davisson, probably Sittingbourne’s best player on the day, got his first goal for the club with an excellent instinctive left-footed finish into the corner of the goal.

But it was too little too late as Sittingbourne slumped to a seventh successive away defeat.

VCD Athletic: Joe Mant, Dan Smith, Jeffrey Imudia, Junior Baker, Richard-Sho Silva, Siao Blackwood, Jonathan Adebayo, Alastair Gordon (Yellow card) (Stephen Ita, 72 min), Warren Mfula (Lamin Camara, 90+4 min), Kojo Awotwi (Red card), Aymun El-Moyhalbel (Marc Gorbell, 90+3 min), Subs not used: Ellis Brown, Rashid Kamara.

Sittingbourne: Harry Brooks, Chris Webber, Salvyn Kisitu, Dan Parkinson (Tom Loynes, 53 min), Laurence Ball, John Coker, Bola Dawodu (David Smith, 76 min), Ben Davisson (Yellow card), Kane Rowland, Miles Cornwell, Rhys Bartlett (Kane Phillip, 54 min). Subs not used: Tyrone Guthrie, Nick Davis.

Referee: Mr Andy Loe, Assistants: Mr Luke Donaldson, Mr Matt Pilkington.

Attendance: 80