“We’re confident we can give a good account of ourselves in these games because we’ve got some good footballers but you just need to get a couple of goals and if we can do that, then we’ll have a great chance.”

Sheppey’s last match was on September 28, winning 2-0 at bottom side Phoenix Sports.

Ramsgate away this Saturday will be a big step up for them but the two teams have already met this season - and the Ites gave the Thanet side a fright in the FA Trophy.

Goals from Dan Carr and Jacob Lambert twice gave Sheppey the lead in the first qualifying round tie but the Rams twice hit back, winning 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time strike from their goal-machine Joe Taylor - coming off the bench that day to sway the result.

“I think we’ll be going up a level,” Record said, looking ahead to the weekend game.

“We gave a really good account of ourselves in the FA Trophy and just lost it in three or four minutes of madness, really. The whole game turned on us near the end of that match.

“We should also have beaten a tough, uncompromising side in the FA Cup in Hanwell Town when we played them at home -another game when we gave a good account of ourselves against a good side.

“It's just a matter of putting it together on the day when you're playing teams in the top six.

“We’ve got a young, enthusiastic side that’s learning, week to week, you’ve really just got to take it one game at a time.”

Ramsgate have narrowly missed out on promotion out of the division in the last two seasons and look the team to beat again, although they head into the weekend off the back of three straight cup losses.

Ben Smith’s side lost 3-1 to Cray Valley on Saturday, a week after a 4-1 defeat to Brackley Town in the FA Cup and a Kent Senior Cup exit against Thanet rivals Margate before that.

Ramsgate have some seasoned players in their team while the Ites are looking to fight at the top end with less experience.

Record said: “We’ve got a couple of players who’ve played at the next level but I don’t think we have got that experience that Ramsgate have got.

“We’ve gone for the other end of the spectrum, where we’re working with young players and trying to educate them in the game and we’ve had success in that.”

Sheppey lost defender Frankie Morgan in the summer after two years at Holm Park, when he joined Folkestone Invicta, and Record says they’re happy to keep the conveyer belt going.

He said: “Myself and Ernie consider that a success because we put a lot of effort into that lad, to get him the opportunity to play in the Isthmian Premier.

“That’s the work that me and Ernie are doing behind the scenes, trying to get those players to improve game by game.

“If they're 33, 34, there’s not too much to do. If they're 20 to 25, they’re still learning and we enjoy improving players.”

Sheppey head into the weekend game sitting second in the Isthmian South East table - four points off leaders Beckenham Town. Ramsgate are three points behind Sheppey.