Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell pays tribute to hat-trick hero Mitchell May after celebrating a year in charge with big win

Ryan Maxwell celebrated his first anniversary as Sittingbourne manager with an emphatic victory - thanks to a player he has high hopes for.

Mitchell May scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 Isthmian South East home win over Beckenham on Saturday, with Chris Harris also on target.

It was the perfect result to mark a year in charge, with Bourne going from third-bottom to third-top in just 12 months.

Maxwell gave a glowing assessment of young May.

He said: “It’s fantastic for Mitchell to score his first hat-trick for the club. He was a Sunday League player.

“I saw him play for a Step 6 or Step 7 side, Dunmow, when I was at Braintree and they were groundsharing.

“I just saw this kid move extremely well, a completely natural footballer.

“When I was told he hadn’t been coached, I said there’s definitely a player there and he’s developed and he’s a classy finisher.

“He’s 6ft3in, he’s left-footed, and he’s still growing into his frame. He’s going to be a big man.

“His football intelligence is natural, he’s got a good football IQ and I think there’s a lot to come from him.

“The potential is boundless. He’s physically fantastic and technically excellent so what Mitchell does will be up to him.

“It can work both ways when you work with someone who’s never been coached.

“Where it’s all new to them they might not be receptive to it.

“On the other side of the coin, if they are receptive, you’ve got a blank canvas and improvements and adjustments can be made pretty quickly. Mitchell is certainly the latter.

“He asks the right questions, listens and tries to put in place what you’ve asked him to do.

“Che Stadhart (assistant manager) has to take credit for that, too, being an ex-forward giving him the bitesize bits of information that he’s