Title-chasing Sheppey United finally had a breather this week - but manager Ernie Batten admits he can’t keep his players away.

A relentless schedule has seen the Ites playing Saturday-Tuesday football for a number of weeks as they battle for silverware on multiple fronts. They finally had a Tuesday night without a game this midweek, but the players weren’t sitting at home.

“It’s always tempting to have the night off but we trained as normal,” said the Ites boss.

“The lads are working so hard and there is the travelling as well, but what has worked for us is keeping that routine up.

“We tailor the sessions. We have light ones and recovery ones and, last Thursday, we laid a bit of food on for the lads as some come straight from work.

“What is a compliment to the coaching staff is when we have actually given the night off to individuals, they have still come in.

“We might have picked out some that had played more minutes than others and need a rest, but they have not wanted to. We tell them to at least just do a bit of stretching and recovery but they want to come out and train. It is fantastic and a good feeling.

“Nobody wants to miss anything, there is competition for places, it has served us well. It is always a bit tricky, are we overcooking it? But so far, so good.”

There is no let-up in the battle for top spot in the Southern Counties East Premier Division. Sheppey are joint top with Chatham Town after a 2-0 win at Bearsted on Saturday thanks to second-half goals from Warren Mfula and Max Oldham. Both teams are on 81 points with seven games to play.

Batten said: “That was our seventh or eight week in a row that we had gone Saturday-Tuesday and you are always expecting that you are going to be a bit flat at times, with energy levels and even mentality.

“You are putting so much into it, getting yourself up for every game and it is how you manage those times.

“We started a bit slow, probably a hangover from a great result at Deal on the Tuesday night (winning in the Challenge Cup).

“It was a big game and, although we were a bit slow, what we have done this season certainly is make sure we don’t give anything away.

“We keep plugging away and during the course of the 90 minutes, as has happened on most occasions, we get the goals that we need.”

The Ites came away 4-2 winners from Deal last Tuesday in the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup.

Sheppey will meet Division 1 side Sutton Athletic over two legs in the semi-final.

Batten’s men have already lifted the delayed 2019/20 Kent Senior Trophy this season and face Hollands & Blair in the 2021/22 final.

The manager is thrilled to have been able to compete on so many fronts.

“You risk injury and over-playing them, but like the training regime it seems to have worked for us,” said Batten.

“Winning breeds confidence and good feeling and the cup competitions have added to that. There is something to look forward to.

“We have won one cup final, we are in another final and if we can win the two-legged tie with Sutton we will be in another final. As a squad, it has worked.

“The lads themselves have indicated that they really want to go on all fronts.”

Sheppey host Welling Town this Saturday, a team sitting in the lower reaches of the table but one Batten won’t be underestimating.

He said: “They have beaten (third-placed) Glebe and also drew with them last week, they narrowly lost to Deal on Saturday. They may be down there but will be a tough nut to crack. We will have to play well.

“Fisher (in the bottom half) gave us one hell of a game, a 2-2 draw, and we could have lost. They then lose at home to Lordswood and 3-0 at Rusthall on Saturday. How does that work?

“When you play a team like Welling, in that bottom six, they want to prove they are better than where they are. It is an opportunity for them and we are expecting another tough game.”