Sheppey United have another cup competition to keep them occupied this Saturday.

The Ites are away to Ramsgate in the FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round this weekend but will no longer face them again in the league on Tuesday night, as was scheduled, as the teams have agreed to postpone their midweek league clash.

More: Ites in dreamland after win in Wales

Both sides have big FA Cup games to look forward to next Saturday, with the chance of progressing to the First Round Proper. Postponing their midweek league meeting gives them the best chance to progress – even if it means more fixture congestion later on in the season.

Ahead of their big FA Cup matches, The Ites are now in with a chance of progressing to the First Round proper of the FA Trophy.

Ites boss Ernie Batten knows Ramsgate will be a massive challenge.

He said: “Saturday is a massive game, the Trophy is another good income stream, a huge competition and we would like to have a run in that, but that will be a very difficult game.

“They are probably favourites in our league this season, Ben Smith (the Ramsgate manager) has got a very good squad together with their signings, big, big, signings and they are fortunate to have a big budget, with the likes of Joe Taylor there, sort of players that don’t come cheap, but hats off to them, they are going for the league.

“For us, we have a good squad, a good side, we can go there and have all the potential to win any game on our day. We will be confident and look to take Saturday’s win at Merthyr into this week, hopefully we can win again.”

Ramsgate lost their season-opener at Sevenoaks but followed up with wins in both of their other two league fixtures. Like The Ites, cup football has restricted them to just three league matches.

With their midweek league meeting now postponed, The Ites won’t be back in Isthmian League South East action again until playing away at Littlehampton Town on Tuesday, October 17.

Their last league fixture was away to Sittingbourne over a month ago.

Batten said: “The league has taken a real backseat as we’ve been caught up in cup football, it hasn’t felt like we have started our league campaign yet, it’s cup after cup.

“When we get back to the league programme we are going to possible be five games behind everyone.

“We have not got a big squad and so we would be stacked up with league games, which could be challenging.

“When you are winning and full of confidence it can be a good thing but the only thing that you run into issues with a thin squad is that if you get injuries that can affect you, but that’s football.

“It is hard to plan these things out, if you rest players it doesn’t always work out, you have to go in with your best squad and fingers crossed you get a bit of luck with injuries.”

It’s sure to be a hectic schedule for The Ites - a world away from the Premier League giants who have issues of their own with the footballing schedule.

Batten joked: “It is hilarious, it really is, our lads have jobs, travelling after work to train and we were up for 5am to travel to Wales on Saturday. Pep is moaning about a three-hour journey back from Newcastle because they can’t get a private jet!”

Sheppey have added D’Jean Spencer to their squad to help bolster the ranks, giving them much-needed cover for the wide areas. He moves to Holm Park having previously been at Bowers & Pitsea and Faversham Town, and formerly at Tottenham as a youth player. He was an unused substitute last weekend.