Sheppey United head into Swale derby at Sittingbourne aiming to end their winless run in Isthmian South East – Ites beaten 1-0 by Deal Town on Saturday

Sheppey United are desperate to end their winless run — and there would be no sweeter way to do it than by toppling Swale rivals Sittingbourne.

The Ites need points to see off the threat of relegation in Isthmian South East and they make the short trip to Sittingbourne’s Staxson Stadium tonight (Tuesday), looking to end a run of nine games without a win.

Sittingbourne will be confident, with home advantage and occupying fourth spot in the league, but Sheppey joint boss Ian Batten backs his men to upset the odds.

He said: “I know our form isn’t good at the moment, and theirs is, although they lost on Saturday, but what a great place it would be to end this run.

“It’s a local derby, a chance for the fans to have the bragging rights, and we're going to go there confident that we can win, like we've approached every game.”

Sittingbourne are in a battle to secure a play-off spot and will be looking to bounce back from a 3-1 away defeat to AFC Croydon Athletic on Saturday.

The Ites lost 1-0 at home against Deal Town, their fifth straight league defeat.