There’s some big clubs, a lot of ambition and money and if we can get into that top 12 it will be a fantastic achievement but it’s going to be tough, says Sittingbourne boss Nick Davis

SITTINGBOURNE manager Nick Davis says there is no pressure on his side when they travel to league leaders Tooting & Mitcham United on Saturday.

The Brickies are in midtable in the Ryman League Division One South table on 45 points from their 33 games and travel to a Tooting & Mitcham United side that are six points clear of Dorking Wanderers at the summit on 71 points from 32 games.

Sittingbourne were 3-0 up at Chatham Town on Monday night, courtesy of goals from Hicham Akhazzan, Stefan Wright and Jono Richardson, before the hosts scored a flattering two goals in the final five minutes through substitute Jordan Gallacher.

Sittingbourne went into the game on a run of nine games without a win and Davis was delighted that his side scored three goals at Maidstone Road.

He said: “We make it entertaining. We score a lot of goals.  We’re conceding a lot (66) but we’re scoring a lot (58) as well and that’s more important for me at the minute.

“We haven’t got a player whose scored over 10 goals and we must be the only team in the league that haven’t and to score as many as we have, I think we’re only four or five off from what we scored last year, so I’m delighted with that.

“We’re creating goals because we go a lot more attacking and we’ve got a lot of pace.”

Tooting & Mitcham United are a very attack minded side and have been boosted by the recent return of striker Billy Dunn from fifth-placed Greenwich Borough following a short spell in Eltham.

“It’s a free game isn’t it, you know.  We beat them 1-0 away last year, they’re flying aren’t they,” said Davis.

“They’re favourites now, we go and do our duty to try and get some points off them so we can give some of the chasing pack an opportunity but we’re going to go there, it’s a free game knowing anything we get will be a bonus.”

When asked his aspirations for the rest of the campaign, Davis replied: “Thirteen games to go, we just want to get as many points as we possibly can.

“How high can we finish in that league table? Can we get in the top 10? Can we get in the top 12? There’s some good sides. Look at the sides that are up there. There’s some big clubs, a lot of ambition and money and if we can get into that top 12 it will be a fantastic achievement but it’s going to be tough.”

Davis is keen to add firepower to his young squad.

He said: “I want to bring in another one or two.  We’ve got a bare centre forward here. Remmell Davis’s gone on the missing list and Anthony O’Connor’s not with us and all off a sudden I’ve gone from four or five forwards to having one so I need to bring one in sharpish and that might be from high above on loan or to go and look lower down. 

“I need a different type of player. It’s a lot on Jake Embery’s seventeen-year-old shoulders to lead the line.”

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

Tooting & Mitcham United  v  Sittingbourne
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 11^th February 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Imperial Fields, Bishopsford Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 6BF