Sittingbourne manager Darren Blackburn plotting the next step after a season of progress

Darren Blackburn is considering how to take the next step at Sittingbourne with their play-off bid effectively over.

Bourne are seven points off the Isthmian South East top five with four games remaining following a goalless draw with relegation-threatened East Grinstead on Saturday.

It’s been a successful season with boss Blackburn transforming the pre-season relegation favourites into a solid top-half side who have shown they can compete with the best.

He remains focused on finishing the campaign strongly but is thinking about what it will take to become genuine play-off contenders.

“No one expected us to get that last play-off place this season and I don’t know if we had enough belief in ourselves to go out and get it,” said Blackburn, whose side are seventh.

“Anything can still happen but it feels like this was the game where it slipped away.

“We worked on a slightly different plan, pressing from the front, trying to win the ball higher up, and getting on the front foot, but nothing materialised for us.

“We needed a set-piece or something to go in and then they’ve got to come out and change their gameplan but credit to East Grinstead.

“We half-threatened a few times, we had a few blocked shots where people have taken too many touches in the box but I think that’s the difference between our team and the teams up the top who would have found a way to grind out a 1-0.

“It was the longest chat we’ve had after a game for a while.

“From my point of view it’s hard to give the lads a rollicking when they’ve done as well as they have and come that close to the play-offs.

“There’s a few games we’ve lost or not turned draws into wins and that’s why we’re six or seven points off it.

“I could give you those six or seven points in