Ernie Batten believes Sheppey need to start picking up more points against the teams around them if they are to finish in the play-off places this season.

The Ites find themselves just outside the Isthmian South East top five after losing 2-1 at home to Ashford despite midfielder Eitel Goueth's first-half goal last weekend.

Next up for manager Batten and his depleted Sheppey side is a trip to Deal this weekend before a derby at title-chasing Sittingbourne on Boxing Day (1pm).

“If we have got true ambitions of reaching the play-offs, then we have got to pick points up against these sides,” admitted Batten.

“Saturday was extremely disappointing and, so far, we haven’t picked up enough points against the sides in and around us in this league.

“We lost to Ramsgate, we lost to Beckenham here, lost on Saturday to a side that are on the up, and they’re six-pointers, really.

“But on the other side of the coin, we’re still not halfway through the season.

“There’s still more than half the season to go and we need to get that consistency against the teams in and around us, although I’m not dismissing the games against the other sides either - because they’re hard, as well.

“But from 10th, there’s a little breakaway, isn’t there? You’re looking at three or four teams chasing that fifth position and we want to be one of them. We’ll see. It’s all to be decided.”

Sheppey’s game against Deal, last season’s Southern Counties East Premier Division champions, will see them visit the Charles Sports Ground for a league fixture for the first time since March 2022.

Steve King’s side are in the middle echelons of the table and sit just six points behind Sheppey, albeit they have played two more league fixtures.

Batten noted: “That’s a very difficult place to go.

“Deal look like they’re settling in quite well. With Deal, similar to us, the side they had (when they got promoted), they have kept and they have just added a couple onto it.

“So, they have been a consistent side, which I think has helped them.”

Sheppey will again check on the players on their lengthy injury list this week.

James Taylor failed to come through the warm-up against Ashford while fellow midfielder Jordy Ndozid suffered a recurrence of his problem, with skipper Danny Leonard, Joe Ganiwa, Harrison McCall and striker Dan Carr also on the sidelines.

Batten was forced to bring Oluwadamilola Olorunnisumo off late on after he had replaced Ndozid in the first 15 minutes.

He said: “Jordy has had a reaction to his foot injury that he had been out for a couple of weeks with.

“Jacob Lambert has been carrying a bit of an ankle knock for a couple of weeks so we have been managing it while we’re getting players in. Sometimes, they come back a bit too early.

“Dami came back on Saturday after months out and I felt he did quite well. But he was struggling towards the end so we had to make that substitution.

“It is what it is. We just need to do as well as we can.”

Two players who did seemingly come through relatively unscathed on their debuts were Zion McLeod and youth-team player David Johnson.

Trinidad & Tobago forward McLeod joins from Southern Combination League Division 1 side East Preston and further shows the Ites’ desire to try all avenues in pursuit of the next gem.

Batten said: “I think we want to do that. We’re building a football club here. We have got a set budget that the club supports.

“I know I say that quite often, but it’s important because we’re only going to reach a level the club can afford.

“If it was looked at in financial terms, we’re probably punching a little bit above our weight because we’re using a lot of under-23 players and a lot of other youngsters.

“Harry Hogben, who played on Saturday, is 18. We had Frankie Maciocia on the bench and he’s 18.

“There are several other players that are either 19 or early-20s, as well, so we have got quite a young side out there.

“We have got a lot to be pleased with but this is a tough, uncompromising, league.”

Sheppey held a minute's silence before the Ashford game in memory of Joules Smith, the six-year-old from Minster, who died last week.