Sittingbourne manager Aslan Odev welcomed a break from Boxing Day football.

Brickies didn't play yesterday - arguably the most traditional date on the calendar.

But Odev sees the positives and hopes the players will benefit from a day off.

He said: "It's a welcome change. It's the biggest obstacle, making sure the players look after themselves and don't have too many Yorkshire puddings on Christmas Day.

"It's a good opportunity to spend the day at home with the family.

"It's different the higher you go but it's part-time football and I understand that.

"I'd rather the players are at home with their families and come back in good spirits."

Sittingbourne return to action at home to struggling Herne Bay on Saturday (3pm).

Odev started the year as first-team coach under Nick Davis but finishes it as a manager in his own right.

He said: "It's something I wanted but it's not something I expected.

"I was concentrating on my role as first-team coach but Nick left and I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.

"I didn't really think I had a chance, it was a stab in the dark, but the board have been excellent and so supportive.

"I've definitely had to learn very quickly in some respects but it's all good.

"The biggest thing is staying level-headed and making sure you do the right things.

"Your workload increases straight away with the amount of calls and texts but these are all things I welcome and knew would happen when I chose to be a manager."

Odev doesn't envisage making too many changes in the second half of the season with Brickies hoping a settled squad will help them up the league table.

He said: "You've always got to freshen things up slightly but we've got a fantastic group of lads here and everything is in place.

"There's no reason to change too much."