We can still make play-off's, says Lovell

Despite being fifteen points adrift of the final play-off berth, Sittingbourne manager Steve Lovell believes his side can win all of their last nine games to sneak into the end of season lottery, writes Stephen McCartney.The Bourne Park outfit have won their last three games and have moved into 13^th place in the Ryman League Division One South table.

However, Sittingbourne were amongst the play-off’s contenders at the beginning of the season but after winning 2-1 at Dartford’s Princes Park on 25^th November, the club collected nine draws from their next fifteen games and began sliding down the table.

But wins over Whyteleafe, Corinthian-Casuals and Chatham Town, has given the Welshman and his side the belief that they can storm up the table.

“We had a sticky spell after Christmas where we went a long time without a win but drawing too many games,” Lovell told www.kentishfootball.co.uk following their comfortable 3-1 win over local rivals Chatham Town at the weekend.

“But it’s nice to get to win our last three games and a draw against Tooting as well so it’s been a good four games for us and hopefully we can continue it now until the end of the season.

“I said to the boys three games ago we had 12 games to go and I said if we win those 12 games we’ve got a chance for the play-off’s and that’s still our aim.

“We’ve won the three, we’ve got nine to go so I think we’ve got to take every game as it comes and if we can keep performing like this we’ll keep winning the games and funny things have happened in football.

“But I think it’s a long haul but if we continue to play as well as we can and hopefully get the three points every week.”

Due to the wet winter that’s soaked the Garden of England, six of their last nine games will be played at Bourne Park – seven if you include their “trip” to Maidstone United on Easter Monday.

“We’ve got nine games left but most of them are down here at Central Park so that just shows you how many games we’ve had called off (due to the) bad weather,” he said.

Lovell’s charges have a free week before their next game, a trip to third-from-bottom Ashford Town on Saturday.

“I watched Ashford against Dartford and they’re quite a strong side defensively,” he said of the goal-less draw at The Homelands last week.

“Dartford found it hard to break down so we’ll go down there and try and give it our best shot and if we do we’ll get something out of it.  If we don’t then the other team deserve to win.”

Our Sussex sources have also revealed today that Lovell’s former club, Hastings United have submitted a seven-day approach for Ashford Town star Simon Glover.

Visit Sittingbourne’s website:  www.sittingbournefc.co.uk