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Sheppey United manager Ernie Batten on facing Fisher two weeks in a row

Sheppey United boss Ernie Batten hopes his side have room to do their stuff this weekend, against Fisher.

The Ites beat Fisher last weekend in the Kent Senior Trophy second round, winning 2-1 in a tight match on a small pitch.

Sheppey's Ian Batten, right, on the road back to full fitness. Picture: Sean Aidan
Sheppey's Ian Batten, right, on the road back to full fitness. Picture: Sean Aidan

Batten hopes their league game this Saturday on Sheppey’s own patch will help their cause, as they look to keep pace with the top teams in the Southern Counties East, Premier Division.

“Hopefully the size of the pitch will help,” Batten said.

“It won’t be as tight and hopefully we can play a bit more.

“We had spells last weekend where we moved the ball quickly, we passed it and got the wingers involved and got a couple of goals, but only on a handful of occasions. In our previous games we have been doing that over 90 minutes.

“Hopefully on our own pitch there will be extra space and we can play more of our own game.”

What pleased Batten last weekend was how well they defended, coming under pressure after conceding a penalty to make it 2-1.

“Defensively we were very strong,” he said.

“We lost George Crimmen with a knee injury and Lewis Mingle came on in his place. He did well when he came on and we managed to see it through despite a lot of pressure.

“It was quite pleasing and it was a good test for us. We didn’t offer a great deal going forward but we couldn’t get hold of the ball and they made it difficult for us, with their energy and direct play.”

Crimmen looks like being out for several weeks now but there is better news for midfielder Ian Batten, who has played a couple of games now for United’s development team.

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

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