Ernie Batten has explained why he refused to be too critical of Sheppey’s players after their horror show at Ramsgate.

The Ites’ perfect start to the Isthmian South East season emphatically ended at Southwood, losing 5-0 last weekend.

While Ramsgate’s squad was packed with players boasting higher-division experience, there was a much more youthful feel to Sheppey’s side.

Boss Batten, whose third-placed team are at Merstham tonight, said: “It is about experience. I said to them after the game ‘I’m not going to hammer you’.

“We have got to learn from it but I’ll take some responsibility for Saturday, as well, because we probably over-analysed everything - and forgot to play ourselves. That’s down to me.

“We’re in it together and, hopefully, we can put it right.

“If we win on Tuesday, we have won seven of our first eight in the league, which isn’t a bad start. It’s a long season.

Report: Ramsgate 5-0 Sheppey

Boss Batten takes big lesson from heavy defeat

“Seven (league) games have been played and there’s 42 games, so it’s still incredibly early.

“Even Ramsgate themselves have had a couple of (cup) defeats recently, which shows anything can happen in football. It can be brutal.

“We just weren’t at the races on Saturday and it was just one of those days.”

Goals from winger Alfie Paxman (2), captain Joe Taylor, midfielder Benny Bioletti and substitute Josh Ajayi consigned the Ites to a first league defeat in front of a crowd of 1,053 that included a healthy away contingent. They endured an afternoon to forget in Thanet.

But Batten is confident the display was a one-off.

“They’re a good bunch of lads and they’ll want to put that right,” he said.

“They will be hurting - like we all are - and, hopefully, we can use that to bounce back.”

While it doesn’t get much easier for Sheppey, who host Margate this Saturday and then welcome Littlehampton to Holm Park next Tuesday, Ramsgate are favourites to win the division for a reason.

Batten said: “Our ambition is to get up and around the play-off positions.

“You’re not going to come up against the likes of Ramsgate every week.

“They were very good on Saturday but we have given them games before. We came here and got a 0-0 draw last year, which was a great result.

“I’ve said to the lads that we have to brush this aside now.”

Sheppey have bolstered their attacking options with the signing of forward Jahmal Hector-Ingram.

A former England youth-team striker, Hector-Ingram had a brief spell at rivals Hythe this campaign when he failed to net a competitive goal from four starts and one substitute appearance.

The 25-year-old started in West Ham’s Academy before he joined Derby, making his first-team debut in a 2-0 Championship defeat to West Brom in 2020.

He dropped into non-league football after a loan at Stevenage and a brief spell with Scottish side St Johnstone.

Hector-Ingram got the winning goal for Sheppey Sports, led by Batten’s sons, George and Ian, in their 2-1 Southern Counties East Division 1 win at FC Elmstead last weekend.