Sheppey United's play-off hopes took a blow at the weekend but they remain in the hunt ahead of a busy Easter period.

A 2-1 defeat at lowly Haywards Heath came just a week after thumping high-flying Beckenham 5-1 - a result which earned Sheppey the Isthmian South East 'performance of the month' award.

• More: Changes at the top for Sheppey

Jack Midson's men host Three Bridges on Saturday before playing the team standing inbetween themselves and the play-off positions, Ashford United, on Easter Monday.

Sheppey are four points adrift of the play-offs with four games remaining.

Midson said: "We didn't want the season to fizzle out before April, we have achieved that, we still have a lot to play for. It's still do-able mathematically so we have to give everything until it's not possible.

"Hopefully we can have something to play for right up to the end, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

"Three Bridges are a team we haven't played that long ago and we owe them one. That will be a tough one, they did a good job on us, we were naive against them.

"We give 100% anyway but I think with a bit of video analysis, look at a few things on Thursday and hopefully the lads will learn from those experiences and put it right in the next few games.

"If we can pick up a couple of wins then we can go into the last match against Cray Valley where it could be between them and us (for the play-offs) but what a situation to be in. We can't complain, we have to be happy."

Midson was named Isthmian South East manager-of-the-month for March after four straight wins. That flurry of success came as Sheppey bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Three Bridges at the end of February.

They now have to respond to the disappointment of losing at Haywards Heath.

Sheppey went behind after just four minutes when Conrad Honore volleyed in from the edge of area. Richie Hamill levelled with a 29th-minute penalty following a handball in the box but the hosts won it when Dean Gunner converted a 60th-minute free-kick.

"It's the way it goes sometimes," Midson conceded. "We did alright, we have some experienced players but maybe we were just a bit naive to certain situations.

"Goals change games. We had one off the bar, off the post, on another day you don't play great but you win 3-2.

"Sometimes it is not your day. Danny Leonard towards the end went through and if anything he caught the shot too well, across the goal and hit the post, sometimes it hits the inside and goes in but this one went back into the box, through everyone waiting for it and came out the other side.

"When it's not your day, it's not your day. We have certainly had a lot of days that have been our days so we can't complain. We'll forget about that one while still learning from it.

"If you are off it slightly then teams down the bottom are not as bad as people think."

The previous game against Three Bridges will be fresh in the memory and the players will be keen to avenge that loss.

Midson said: "We will definitely look back at how they scored their goals and what we could have done better, we do that with every team, then how we can improve.

"We do believe in our own ability, we know what we can do.

"We played Three Bridges recently so they will be very similar to how they were last time, they switch the ball very quick, play good balls forward.

"On our pitch it will be good for them because it is a big area but we need to turn that into our favour and use our wingers to our advantage."

Illness affected team selection at the weekend with Gills loanee Matt MacArthur dropping out. Warren Mfula returned to the bench from illness.