Losing joint top scorer is a "massive blow" to play-off chasing Sittingbourne - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Sittingbourne boss Steve Lovell has been dealt a “massive blow” with the loss of popular striker Andy Doerr for the rest of the season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The former Lordswood striker, whose scored ten goals this season, was on the receiving end of a “crunching tackle” from Lee Shearer during their 1-1 draw with tenants Maidstone United on Boxing Day.

The news that Doerr has broken his fibia and tibia has come at a bad time for the play-off chasing club.

The twenty goals scored between strikers Doerr and Mark Lovell has propelled the Brickies into the top seven in the Ryman League Division One South table and they travel to Kent rivals Dover Athletic on Saturday looking for victory.

But boss Lovell admitted not having the striker, plucked from Kent League football, around Bourne Park will be a blow.

“He had an operation on it yesterday morning to have it pinned,” Lovell said EXCLUSUVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk tonight.

“It is too early, but you can write off this season and we think he will be ready for the start of pre-season.

“It’s a massive blow for us but a massive blow to Andy himself. He’s such a nice fella and you wouldn’t wish it on anybody, especially when he was having a good season. We will miss him as a person as well as a player.”

Lovell will not, however, delve into the transfer market for a replacement as he feels he has players that are capable of partnering his son, Mark, up front.

“We’ve got a number of forwards,” he said. “Mark (Lovell) came on Saturday, Jon Neal, Mitchell Sherwood, Lee Browning and Sabeur Trabelsi can play up front.

“I’ve got enough players who can come in and do a job. It’s a matter to see the best combination and to see if anyone comes available from other clubs who we can go for.”

Skipper Kieran Marsh, who made his 200^th appearance for the club against the Stones earlier in the week, received praise from his boss.

“Kieran has been magnificent,” said Lovell. “We have a good bunch of lads at the club and Kieran has been a great servant, a consistent performer and someone who has led by example.”

But Lovell believes his side must adapt to the heavily criticised playing surface at Bourne Park if they are to maintain their play-off push.

“To be honest both teams played the pitch very well on Tuesday,” he said. “It has had a bit of a hammering with the weather but you have to get on with it.

“It’s the same for both teams but it’s a case of adapting to the conditions at home and getting used to a bad situation, perhaps playing a different way at home as we do away from home.

“Ideally I would like to have a surface like Dartford and Dover as we do have some outstanding ball players that are very good and the way I like to play football is to play football.

“But we have to make do with what we have and it’s a learning curve for the boys to make do with the conditions.”

Lovell’s players will be relishing the chance to play their passing game on the excellent playing surface at Crabble on Saturday.

“It will be another good game,” predicts Lovell. “Dover are having the season everybody expected them to have. Perhaps Sittingbourne are having a season not so many people thought they would have, other than people connected to the club.

“It will be a nice game, with a lot of local interest, hopefully a good atmosphere and hopefully we can play well a we have been doing and put on a good performance.”

But Lovell is confident that his side will be one of the four clubs playing in the end of season play-off lottery.

He added: “We’ve got two or three games in hand over some of the clubs. We’ve had a very tough last five or six games so hopefully you’d like to think nothing fears us going into the new year.

“It will only be our fault if we don’t make it to the play-offs.”

Marsh (ankle) and Paul Ainsworth (double vision) are rated doubtful.

Visit club websites:

www.doverathletic.com

www.sittingbournefc.co.uk