Sheppey United are making progress says boss Ernie Batten as his side push for an Isthmian South East play-off place

Sheppey United have lost ground in their play-off chase following back-to-back defeats but the manager hopes fans can see the bigger picture.

Ernie Batten’s men are in their second season playing Isthmian South East football, following their Southern Counties East Premier Division title success, and it’s another year where they’re challenging in the higher echelons.

Batten pointed to a discussion with a player last week who came looking for a big-money move and he insists the club isn’t going to break the bank for anyone.

He said: “I am looking to strengthen but we are not going to over extend ourselves, we will build like we have in previous seasons and do as well as we can and hopefully we will be in and around the play-offs.

“This is only our second season (at the level) and maybe supporters and people from the outside think you have the right to go on through these leagues. But you have to be ready as a club, we have got no individual benefactor in terms of putting finances in.

“We want to be self sufficient and we want to be a proper football club in terms of sustainability. We will carry on that vein and it has served us well in the past.

“I understand supporters wanting success all the time but look at where we started 10 years ago in the Kent County League, taking over from Sheerness East, from there to the Invicta League and then the SCEFL and from there to the Isthmian South East, winning six trophies and three promotions.

“I don’t think the supporters can say they have been starved of success.

“Each one of these jumps requires the club to grow, we need to grow commercially and as a club in terms of introducing more youth teams, more interest in the club and it is still relatively young, relatively untapped on