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Sheppey United striker Rob Denness' attitude sets blueprint for team-mates to follow, says assistant manager Jono Richardson

The attitude of experienced frontman Rob Denness is an example to others, says Sheppey United’s assistant boss Jono Richardson.

Denness was back in the starting line-up against Erith & Belvedere and scored the first from the penalty spot as the Ites recorded a 5-0 win.

Rob Denness takes on Erith and Belvedere goalkeeper Tiawo Alui during Saturday's 5-0 win Picture: John Westhrop
Rob Denness takes on Erith and Belvedere goalkeeper Tiawo Alui during Saturday's 5-0 win Picture: John Westhrop

It’s not just on the field where the 31-year-old has been impressing the club’s management.

Richardson said: “Rob is an experienced and senior player and his attitude has been absolutely spot on.

“He lost 10 weeks through injury and has since played in the development team, trained hard and shown his commitment.

“He has been asked to go and play in the development team and there are some younger players who might turn around and say ‘no, I’m too good for that’ but for him he is part of the group.

"He has shown a great attitude and he has worked hard.

“He is one of the most experienced and prolific goalscorers in the league and he could play in many Ryman League sides.

"We are lucky to have him in the group, with the experience he has got.

“The way he plays and trains is incredible and the less-experienced players will look at that.

"He was impressive when he came on off the bench against Tunbridge Wells (last weekend) and was very good on Saturday.”

Denness played up top with Laurent Hamici, meaning leading scorer Dan Bradshaw sat on the sidelines. With a slight hamstring injury, a game watching from the bench would have done him no harm.

Sheppey still managed to find the net five times, closing the gap on Southern Counties East Premier Division leaders Beckenham to seven points, with a game in hand.

Beckenham slipped up at Bearsted but Richardson is concentrating his efforts on Sheppey.

He said: “It’s mid-December and it means absolutely nothing. Every team is going to slip up at some point whether that’s now or the end of the season.

“What they do is absolutely irrelevant. We can only affect what we do.”

Dan Birch has ankle ligament damage, picked up against Fisher, and is currently in a protective boot. He is still four to six weeks away from returning.

Captain Ian Batten, who has been recovering from his own injury, will be in contention to return against Chatham on December 28.

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s league trip to K Sports, Richardson said: “It’s not a case of just rolling into any ground and expecting to get three points. They’ve got some good players and it will be a tough game.”

Sheppey have been drawn at home to Erith Town in the quarter-finals of the Kent Senior Trophy on Saturday, January 18.

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

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