Boss Ernie Batten watched Sheppey United leave themselves with a mountain to climb in their Boxing Day derby against Sittingbourne - but climb it they did.

The Ites came from three goals down to draw the Isthmian South East match 3-3 as a winning goal was ruled out for the visitors in the dying seconds.

“It was a tremendous game of football,” Batten reflected.

“We paid the penalty for a couple of errors in the first half but it was a tight game. There wasn’t a lot in it, other than us making a couple of errors.

“The first one is a bog standard clearance for Lek (Lekan Majoyegbe), who miscues it, and their lad (Chris Harris) finishes it well. For their second goal, I don’t know how the ref has given a free-kick for that.

“Richie (Hamill) has come across and toed it away. Their player has gone to take a corner - but the referee has pulled it back for a free-kick. They put it in the box and we’re 2-0 down.

“I thought we played a lot better in the second half - particularly when we went 3-0 down!

Report: Sheppey 3-3 Sittingbourne

“But even before that, the first 10 minutes of the second half, I didn’t think there was a lot in it until we gave a penalty away out of nothing.

“That left us with a mountain to climb. Fortunately, we managed to climb it!”

The Brickies briefly had a three-goal cushion when Mitchell May converted a penalty after referee Kane Dempster had adjudged midfielder Josh Wisson to have committed a foul in the area.

But defender Briggs Ojemen nearly instantly pulled one back for the hosts at Holm Park before Hamill scored with a fantastic lob and striker Dan Bradshaw salvaged a point in stoppage time.

On the character his side had shown, Batten said: “I’ve seen that before with us here when we have managed to get the crowd behind us.

“I think the key was that we got one back quite early after they had scored. That gave us half a sniff of getting the next goal.

“Then, it was a tremendous strike from Richie which got us back in the game and there was that grandstand finish.”

Undoubtedly, the pick of the six goals was Hamill’s fifth goal of the season as he caught Sittingbourne keeper Bobby Mason off his line from the best part of 40 yards.

Batten said: “Richie has such a fantastic left foot on him.

“As soon as he hit it, I thought ‘That’s going in’ with their keeper back-pedalling.

“It was great to see it go in off the underside of the bar.”

All the second-half drama came after Sheppey had found themselves 2-0 behind at the break.

“I thought that we failed to keep the ball particularly well,” Batten said of their poor first-half performance.

“When we got it in the last third, we didn’t seem to retain possession, so we couldn’t really build too much. Then again, apart from their goals, I think Sittingbourne had one other (first-half) opportunity.

“It was largely even Stevens, apart from us making the errors.

“I said at half-time that we have got to improve in possession - in the last third especially. Our final ball into the box was poor in the first half.”

The thrilling game meant the 497 fans in attendance got their money’s worth as, for the second time this season, the Swale neighbours shared the spoils from a league match, having drawn 2-2 at Woodstock in August.

Batten said: “Credit to Sittingbourne, as well. They’re a good outfit and took their chances.

“I just thought it was a great game of football all round.”

The fifth-placed Ites finish 2023 at home to Broadbridge Heath this Saturday and have a New Year’s Day derby at Hythe two days later.