Sheppey United boss Ernie Batten: Could we be the first club to win the Kent Senior Trophy twice in one season?

SHEPPEY UNITED manager Ernie Batten says he is relishing the rare opportunity of winning the Kent Senior Trophy twice in one season.

The Ites went down to a 2-0 defeat to fellow promotion rivals Glebe in Chislehurst on Tuesday night and travel to Dartford to play Welling Town in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Finals tomorrow.

Sheppey United play Isthmian League South East Division side Corinthian in the much-delayed 2019-20 Final in Chatham on Tuesday 1 February 2022.

“I’m not sure what the pitch (at Kent Football United) is going to be like, obviously we’ve got to go there and we’ve got to put a performance in,” said Batten.

“We don’t know how many changes we’re going to make, we could bring some youth players in as we’ve got several players missing but we’ll go there and try to get that winning feeling back again and put a performance in for the fans.”

Michael Golding’s Corinthian are currently in eleventh-place in the Isthmian League South East Division table and Batten is looking to go down in history to become the first club to win the Kent Senior Trophy twice in one season.

Corinthian are not competing in the Kent Senior Trophy this season because Isthmian League (and higher league) clubs enter the Kent Senior Cup.

Batten said: “Could we be the first club to win the Kent Senior Trophy twice in one season?

“It will be interesting.  Who would’ve thought we would be in the middle of an pandemic and those things would’ve happened?

“It gives us an opportunity to win the same trophy twice.

“Corinthian will be a very difficult game. We had some good games with them the season before last and they’re an extremely tough side to play against.

“We’ll go to Chatham with confidence, we’re a good side and hopefully that can be the first trophy we can lift this season.”

Glebe closed the gap on Sheppey United to seven points and with a game in hand, while Batten’s side are four points adrift of leaders Chatham Town with 17 league games remaining.

Glebe manager Harry Hudson takes his side to fifth-placed Deal Town tomorrow in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Finals.

“We want to be in competitions and it’s good and if I had my way we’d have a league game on Saturday to build momentum but that being said it's one win from being in a semi of a cup competition that we’re going to value,” said Hudson.

“Deal’s a long way to go to not be able to register a win and get in the next round. 

“For us now, it’s about momentum and going on a run and whatever game it is we want to try to win that.

“We’ll be going as full-strength as we can.  There’s been a lot of running by the players in the last two games so (after assessing the players fitness on Thursday night) we’re not going to rest many.”

Elsewhere in the last eight, Chatham Town travel to First Division side Larkfield & New Hythe, while Hollands & Blair welcome their Premier Division rivals Rusthall to Darland Avenue.

The Semi-Finals take place on Saturday 12 February 2022 and the draw was made today:

Deal Town or Glebe  v Welling Town or Sheppey United
Larkfield & New Hythe or Chatham Town  v  Hollands & Blair or Rusthall