Sittingbourne welcome Eastbourne Town to the Staxson Stadium, Woodstock on Saturday looking to make it seven unbeaten under new boss Reece Prestedge and cement their place in the South East’s play-off places with the Christmas period on the horizon.

The Brickies have taken sixteen points from a possible eighteen since Prestedge took over along with assistant Joe Anderson and as he told KSN this week, is delighted with the start that his new side has made after he returned to Woodstock a few weeks ago. “I think considering that we went one nil down at Herne Bay last Saturday, you have to be happy with a point,” he reflected.

“But when we look back at the game, toward the end I really do think that it was a game that we could and perhaps should have won given the chances that we had. If we were a bit more ruthless, we probably have done. Herne Bay are a decent side who have been doing well. I know Friendy (Bay boss Liam Friend) and they have been together a lot longer than we have, and Saturday was really another tick box really.”

“But how can I be disappointed with sixteen points out of eighteen in our first six games? Still unbeaten and we have said since day one that if we can’t win the game, don’t lose it!”

“We now have the first of two home games ahead of Christmas and we know that we are in for a tough afternoon this weekend against Eastbourne. Every game in this League is tough – really don’t think there are any easy games in this division. You have to go into every game with the right attitude as otherwise we will come unstuck. You have to take each game as it comes; take every game different from the one before or the next one – you must do the basics well as if we don’t we know that we are in for more than a tough afternoon!”

“Eastbourne are in their second season in this league and there really aren’t any easy games. Teams are better this year; they are more competitive than they were last year. Teams have strengthened well, which you had to do, and you have to be on it every game.”

For the first time in weeks, the Brickies have had a blank midweek, something that the manager was happy to “receive”. He admitted, “It’s been so good this week to actually get two training sessions in for the first time since we arrived.

“We have been able to work on a few things – Tuesday was light anyway because of the recent schedule as we had to give the boys something back after slogging themselves out for the past weeks. But Thursday was more intense, and it’s been good to have them and get the boys in with the plan that we want to do.”

“We’re fifth going into the weekend – we are just in where we want to be. We don’t want to just be in the play-off places though, we want to be secured in there and so we have to take every game, put everything into each game and make sure that we come out with the three points every game we play.”