The fight for the final two play-off places in the Isthmian South East looks like it will go to the final week of the season with now three points separating the Jersey Bulls from Faversham Town with Reece Prestedge’s Sittingbourne sandwiched in between the two occupying the final coveted post-season places.

The Brickies seemed to be the side in possession before last weekend’s 4-1 home defeat by Whyteleafe at the Staxson Stadium gave the advantage to Jersey and probably took a top three place out of the Brickies reach. But such is the tightness of this division this season, with the top three – Three Bridges, Croydon Athletic and Whyteleafe – all still having to play each other, there is so much still to play for.

Reflecting on last weekend, Prestedge admitted, “We knew it would be a tough game, and I think that as much as we had good possession and controlled a lot of the game, we just made too many errors and too many mistakes.

“The scoreline didn’t reflect the game I felt. We didn’t defend very well for the first two goals – that said I think all four could have been prevented if I am honest! To be two goals down and having given a team like Whyteleafe a two-goal headstart.

“When we got our goal, I did think that we were the only team looking like we would score, and at the end when you’re pushing trying to get level and trying too hard, we left ourselves open and were punished again!”  

This weekend, the Brickies travel to relegated East Grinsted Town on Saturday knowing that their hosts have conceded fifty-three goals in losing their last nine games.

“We’re playing Saturday and Monday with no games a given in this League,” the Brickies boss said. “Saturday, we have to got to get back to winning ways and go there with a professional performance. I know that they have been relegated already, but they are still there fighting, still there playing so we much go there with the right mentality!”

“We can’t afford to go Saturday and think that we just have to show up to win. We do go into every game thinking that we can win, but we have to take the right attitude to East Grinstead and not take our foot off the gas, we mustn’t look at them in any disrespectful way at all!”

“Merstham on Monday will be a tough game. They will come to Woodstock looking to do to us what they did last week at Faversham when they won 5-0 and owe us one from when we won down there a few weeks ago!” 

“They have hit a bit of form at the right time and will come to want to stop us getting in the play-offs and they will want to finish as high as they can – we are at the business end of the season and there are no games at this time of year that are a given!”

“We can’t rely on other results if we are going to make the play-offs – we have to do things ourselves – if we go out and play the way that I know we can play and control games we just need to get the momentum back for the last five games ticking them off, hopefully winning every one!”