Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell says his squad will become ‘slightly smaller’ as he works on the right formula for this season’s Isthmian South East promotion push

Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell is set to trim his squad over the coming week.

Maxwell assembled a big squad after seeing many of last season’s Isthmian South East play-off finalists move on.

He remains in favour of rotation but appreciates that doesn’t suit all the players and is ready to act accordingly.

“We’re still just bedding everything in,” said Maxwell.

“The squad will be slightly smaller in the coming week or so.

“I’ve made a decision we need to be smaller with less changes.

“There’ll be a couple told they can find another club.”

Maxwell has previously kept players on dual-registation but outright departures look more likely.

He said: “I think some will just want to go and play in a different environment.

“They may just need to play week in, week out in a club that aren’t looking to win every single game.

“They maybe aren’t quite ready for that yet.

“It comes with the culture that we’ve managed to create here.

“Some players want to play every week and I disagree that some players should play every week to be at their best.

“Some need to be in and out and that’s proven in many cases, particularly players that are maybe reliant on pace and skill, because they need to stay fresh.

“A bit of rotation, I think, is healthy because it’s all about competition, it keeps people on their toes.

“Some people don’t like intense competition and unfortunately Sittingbourne’s not the place for them.”

Sittingbourne are still working on the ruthless streak that was evident in last season’s squad.

The Brickies scored 117 goals in 42 league games and chalked up 101 points with a brand of football that was difficult for opponents to live with.

Maxwell’s new-look side aren’t there yet, with Saturday’s FA Cup first qualifying round