Sheppey United’s management have been delighted with the way Malachi Hudson responded to being left out of the side.

Hudson had to sit out a couple of games as his early season form dipped but he’s been too hot to handle in recent weeks, bouncing back with a brace against Rusthall and a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-0 success over Erith & Belvedere.

Billy Bennett got Sheppey’s other goal in the win at Holm Park.

A big squad at Sheppey means plenty of competition and assistant boss Marcel Nimani says wide-man Hudson has revelled in it.

Nimani said: “He had a good start for us and then went through a bit of a dry spell and he didn’t play for two games in a row.

“He turned up to a Tuesday training session, he was disappointing the week before that, but he turned it on.

"He had a fantastic session and then the same on the Thursday, his mindset had changed.

“We worked on his runs and positioning and he played well last week against Rusthall and carried it on again this Saturday with an even better game.

“He has learned how to adapt to our style of play and he has been excellent. He has thrived off the competition and that shows the character that he has, he hasn’t melted under that competition.

“He has worked hard, he has learned how we want him to play and he has adapted. He has been extremely affective, scoring five league goals in the last two.”

Hudson is one of many who have joined the Ites from higher leagues where they are used to a different way of playing, often more direct.

Nimani added: “We have a group of very adaptable players and that is the most pleasing thing, they can adapt to our way of playing and that is starting to show.

"It emphasises how important training sessions are.”

Sheppey’s 4-0 victory was described by the coach as “the perfect day” as everything came together to see off one of the division’s top sides.

He said: “It was probably one of the first times we have got the performance, the tactics and the result spot on. Usually we don’t always get them all right.

"Saturday was just the perfect combination and that was pleasing, it really was the perfect day.”

It was Sheppey’s 13th straight win in all competitions but they aren’t top of the Southern Counties East, Premier Division. The Ites are second behind Glebe and a point above third-placed Chatham Town. They do have games in hand over both of their rivals.

Nimani is loving the challenge, saying: “What a competition, what a league the SCEFL has turned out to be!

"There can’t be many step five leagues in the country that have four or five teams investing as heavily as they are in this league.

“The players coming down are a real complement to the way the SCEFL has grown. It is a fantastic league to play in and a lot of these step five teams could compete at step four.”

The Ites take a break from league action this Saturday and venture into the unknown to take on Sheerwater in the FA Vase second round.

Nimani said: “We have done a bit of research, there is not a lot about them but it is exciting to be playing a team you don’t know much about.”

Their weekend hosts, from Woking in Surrey, sit mid-table in the Combined Counties League Premier South.

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