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Isthmian South East side Sittingbourne take on Dover Athletic in FA Trophy first round at Crabble this Saturday after big home wins over Hythe Town and Herne Bay
08:00, 23 October 2024
updated: 09:09, 23 October 2024
Sittingbourne head to in-form Dover Athletic in the FA Trophy hoping to knock them out of a national competition for the second time this season.
Ryan Maxwell’s Isthmian South East side face Dover at Crabble this Saturday in the FA Trophy first round, having already beaten them in the FA Cup last month.
The Brickies won a first-qualifying round replay in Dover 1-0 but Maxwell wants his men to forget all about that cup upset as they hope to produce another.
“We have to erase that game entirely,” said the Brickies boss.
“It’s a different test for us, we have played them twice already so it’s someone we know pretty well but I think all of that has to go out of the window. We just have to approach it totally fresh.
“It’s a test we’ll be well prepared for after our game on Tuesday (away to Herne Bay). It’s a very tough draw to go there and win but I love a test and a challenge and I think my boys do as well.”
Dover are top of the Isthmian Premier Division scoring an average of three goals a game.
Their last trip to Dover was on a Tuesday night and so there should be a bigger following to the Kent coast for a Saturday fixture.
“There’s talk of taking 150-200 fans,” said the Sittingbourne manager.
“The would be absolutely incredible because 200 or so Sittingbourne fans sounds like 1,000. We had 80-odd there before and they were tremendous.
“Saturday will be a big bumper crowd, I'm sure, and you've got to look forward to these games.”
Sittingbourne’s own impressive form continued on Tuesday night, beating Herne Bay 4-1 at home.
Mitchell May – who scored four at the weekend – netted twice more to take his season tally to 16, with Jack Steventon getting the night’s opener and Ryan Kingsford also netting.
Isthmian South East table – top 10
Last weekend they thrashed Hythe Town 6-0. Maxwell admitted it could have been more and he even had to dig four-goal striker May out at half-time.
May had completed his hat-trick just before the break but Maxwell had already prepared to remind him of the need to be more ruthless.
The manager said: “It was something that was stuck in my mind at one and two-nil, that we'd missed scoring opportunities and had been a little bit casual, taking an extra touch, overplaying maybe.
“I made that point quite apparent to Mitchell May actually. I want the best for Mitch and I want him to score more and if he had a more ruthless approach to it there was more goals there for him. That is what I was trying to get across to him.
“He was silent and a bit shocked and we have spoken about it since, he understands where I am coming from.
“Just because something’s easy, don’t take it easy. When there is an opportunity there, take it, in every sense in life. I am getting him to think like that.
“There is so much talent in Mitchell May, I want him to utilise it and it’s a habit that all strikers need to have, which is to be ruthless.
“I was nit-picking, it was a great performance and I am not a disrespectful person at all when it comes to rubbing other people’s nose in it.”
Maxwell sympathised with his opponents, managed by former Sittingbourne boss Nick Davis.
He said: “They have got ability, Nick has come in at a very tough time to clear up the mess and that’s difficult because I have had to do it myself, it can be very hard, I understand.
“It could have been a lot more on the day and I don’t think our goalkeeper had any saves of note to make which is an indication of how the game was.”
