Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell delighted to give back to the club as Brickies make FA Trophy history

Ryan Maxwell says Sittingbourne’s history-making FA Trophy run is a gift to the club.

The Brickies are through to round three for the first time after beating higher-league Winchester on penalties on Saturday.

They won 5-4 on spot-kicks following a 1-1 draw.

Their reward is a home tie against National League South outfit Enfield Town on Saturday, December 7.

The chance to make history was on boss Maxwell’s mind as Sittingbourne boarded the coach to Hampshire where they were backed by 120 travelling fans.

“It’s more a gift to the club than anything else,” said Maxwell. “It doesn’t affect me personally but to give the club something, I was determined to try and do it.

“I woke up on Saturday morning very focused on the game and keen to get a result, and the support we had was tremendous.

“There were 460 people there and 120 were from Sittingbourne.

“It felt like a home game, it really did. They were instrumental in our performance.

“It wasn’t round the corner. Times are tough at the moment and it’s not cheap to follow your team, regardless, but to follow them to Winchester couldn’t have been cheap.

“I emphasised that to the players before the game.

“I said they’ve taken their time to be here but it’s the money they’re paying as well.

“When you come off, make sure you’ve given them their money’s worth and we’ve given absolutely everything, no matter what the score is.

“I need a performance everyone’s proud of and they gave us that.”

Sittingbourne trailed to a fortuitous Luka Chalwell goal a minute before half-time.

They dominated the second half, forcing a series of fine saves, before Mitchell May levelled from the spot on 81 minutes.

May was dismissed soon after, along with the hosts’ Dan Bradshaw and Jamie Barron, and the