Sheppey’s overachievers are in for a challenging few days.

Jack Midson’s men travel to second-placed Chatham tonight (Wednesday) before hosting Isthmian South East leaders Ramsgate on Saturday.

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It’s a chance for Midson’s young guns to cause a stir at the top of the table. They head into those matches full of confidence after an eight-game unbeaten run which has seen them climb to fourth.

Sheppey lost at Chatham in the Velocity Cup earlier this season and drew against them at home in the league.

Player-boss Midson said: “We know they are a good side. They have signed a lot of players and have strength in depth in most areas, but I think the pressure is more on them.

“We are in an overachieving position. Chatham are where they are and Ramsgate are expected to push on and win the league.

“Chatham have lost and drawn more than they would have wanted recently, but it just goes to show how tough this league is. It is definitely not easy, as we found out earlier on this season. It should be a good game for the neutral.

“These are the exciting games you want to play, you don’t want it to peter out and get to March time and have nothing to play for.

“Hopefully we can push to the end and to do that you have to put yourself up against the best teams.

“You just keep aiming for the play-offs until it is mathematically impossible. The way things are going it is looking good, but we are definitely not taking anything for granted.

“We were expected to win the Corinthian and Faversham games and we drew both. The positives are we didn’t lose, and when the chips are down and when it is tough we are finding ways to get points on the board. Those points could be vital come the end of the season.

“We won’t get carried away. The league position looks lovely from where we were a few months ago. We’ll enjoy the moment and just keep cracking on until the end of the season.”

Midson’s remit this term was to keep the Ites safe from trouble but they’ve been in good form since Christmas, with six wins and those two draws propelling them into the play-off positions.

The Sheppey boss has been playing plenty of minutes recently with Warren Mfula injured and Jake Embery suspended. With a small squad there’s only teenagers left in reserve, meaning he’s likely to start again at Chatham.

Midson scored twice and was player-of-the-match last Saturday as Sheppey beat Burgess Hill 3-1.

He said: “Striker-wise we are very light. We have Luke Frost and Jack Marsh, who are both 18 and who have come onto the bench and both came on last Saturday. But experience-wise we are pretty short.”

Having young players around him has its benefits, says Midson, who was banging in the goals during the early part of his footballing career while some of his current players and team-mates were only just born.

He said: “It helps the budget and they are also honest players who are going to do what they’ve been asked to do.

“I take their opinion when they are not 100% on something. I don’t have the kids in there just so I can tell them what to do, I try and coach and have a game plan.

“I take people’s opinions but we stick to the plan and if it doesn’t work then we can talk about it afterwards, but nine times out of 10 recently it has been working.

“You might get some older players who think they know it all and might actually hinder your performance and the shape you are trying to design.

“We have the young lads from Gillingham as well, Sam Gale and Alex Giles. Last week everyone on the bench was 18. It is a shock to look at but it shows how well we are doing and that the future of Sheppey is bright.”

Midson hasn’t ruled out making additions to his squad but there’s no panic and he’s already looking ahead.

“There are a couple of targets that I already have my eye on for next year,” he said.

“It helps me being on the pitch because when you play you might think ‘he’s hard to play against - he is tough’, you can then pencil them in after the game.

“But I am pretty happy with what I have at the moment. I could make signings and do this and that but they have to be exactly the right person. They have to be the right mould in what we are doing.”