Ernie Batten’s return to the hot seat at Sheppey has been a real boost for their forward Jacob Lambert.

His two goals helped The Ites to a 3-0 win on Saturday over Burgess Hill Town in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round - taking his goal tally to the season to five. It’s been some turnaround for a player who was unsure as to where his future was in pre-season.

He was signed by Batten last summer, joining from Crowborough, but shortly after his arrival, the manager quit, only returning at the start of this season following the departure of previous boss Jack Midson and chairman Matt Smith.

Lambert said: “Since Ernie has come in, it has given me a boost of confidence, I am enjoying every minute of every game at the moment.

“He likes to play very attacking football, which is good for me, gives me a lot of freedom, he wants me to take players on, create chances and score goals and that is what I enjoy doing the most. It is good to have that encouragement.”

Lambert admits he’s previously struggled to get going.

He said: “I got injured last season, tore my calf which put me out for just over a month and struggled to get into the team after that, ended up going on loan to a couple of teams, it was a disappointing season for me.

“I was unsure what was happening with me in pre-season, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, where I wanted to be, but Ernie came in and gave me another chance, it has been good so far and I’m really enjoying it.

“I don’t know where this goalscoring form has come from! I am known to be a selfless player, I would rather set up a player than take a shot on, but I think while I am getting a few more goals I am getting more confident in front of goal, I am looking to create space for a shot if I can’t play anyone else in.”

Having the likes of Danny Leonard in the side is a big boost, the winger setting up one of his goals on Saturday after a surging run down the right.

Lambert said: “He is a defender’s nightmare, every time he gets the ball and starts running at their full-back, in my head I instantly know he is going to beat him and I know I need to be in a position to get the ball off him and score.

“I am always there for cut-backs, Dan Bradshaw will be at the far post or making a run across the front, I am there as another option.”

Lambert now feels he’s playing the kind of football that led him to Sheppey, having impressed Batten and the team while playing against them for Crowborough at the back end of the 2021/22 season.

“I played well infront of the right people and they said some encouraging things to me after I had played against them, I wanted to sign for them,” he recalled.

“I am finding my form now, the team here is starting to gel and I am happy when I am playing, which is the main thing for me and I’m feeling confident, it is all going well so far.”

There was a fair bit of disruption at Sheppey this summer, with the off-field departures, but on the pitch the results have continued to be positive, under Batten’s stewardship.

Last week they saw another forward player Eddie Allsopp leave, signing for Chatham. Interim boss Batten had said there had to be cuts to the player budget following the departure of the chairman.

The Ites are three unbeaten in the league but this month has all been about cup football. They lost last Tuesday’s Kent Senior Cup against Beckenham Town 1-0 but on Saturday eased past league rivals Burgess Hill in the FA Cup.

Lambert opened the scoring on 10 minutes, added another late in the second half and a Richie Hamill penalty with six minutes left settled it.

Sheppey now face a long trip west in the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round next Saturday, with a visit to Welsh side Merthyr Town.

The Martyrs beat Taunton Town 2-1 on Tuesday night. The Ites, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to Herne Bay in the Velocity Cup second round on the same evening.

Josh Wisson got a goal back for Sheppey after Michael Salako and Gil Carvalho scored for Bay either side of the half. The Ites included former Cheshunt and Tooting player Nikolai Krokhin in the starting line-up, along with youngster Joshua Bedzrah. Another teenager, Prince Ikie, came off the bench.

There’s a big match this Saturday at Holm Park as Sheppey host Swale rivals Sittingbourne in the FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round, The match is all-ticket with supporters needing to pay their admission online in advance.

Looking ahead, Lambert said: “I played against Sittingbourne last season at home, we lost 1-0, there were over 1,000 people there, the atmosphere was insane.

“We played them away a few weeks ago (a 2-2 draw in the league). I came off the bench and the atmosphere was good there as well.

“We’re looking forward to this one. It’s another opportunity for a cup run to go as far as we can, it’s exciting.

“We will definitely be challenging for the play-offs in the league this season and I think we will be one of the teams to beat.

“We know if we are solid defensively we always have a good chance of scoring against any team, it is a great team to be involved in.”