by Craig Tucker

Joint-boss Jim Ward has banned play-off talk among his Sittingbourne squad.

Brickies sit fourth in Ryman League Division 1 South ahead of a home game against Worthing on Saturday.

Confidence is high but Ward won’t let his squad get carried away.

He said: "You can’t win anything in November or December. I want the players to keep their heads down, try and stay under the radar and let all the big clubs like Dulwich and Maidstone get on with it.

"I won’t allow any talk of the play-offs. I keep telling them we’re ahead of schedule and that we’re a mid-table team and it’s up to them to prove me wrong.

"We’ve got good players so maybe we’re not punching above our weight. Maybe we’ve just given them the belief they were lacking before."

Key midfielder Nick Treadwell starts a three-match suspension against fellow form side Worthing, with Jason Dolby expected to take his place.