Sittingbourne are chalking up some seriously impressive statistics as they continue their outstanding form.

The Brickies’ 5-0 win over Deal Town on Saturday was their seventh successive victory in league and cup.

They’re third in Isthmian South East after 14 matches, having scored the most and conceded the fewest goals in the division, with 48 and 11 respectively.

Overall, they’ve scored 68 goals in 25 matches in all competitions, keeping 12 clean sheets.

They’re looking to maintain their winning run in the FA Trophy at Winchester this Saturday (3pm), where victory would take them into round three for the first time.

“There’s something in that Sittingbourne water,” said manager Ryan Maxwell.

“It’s going well. The stats get brought up; I don’t research them.

“I look at the very basics in terms of clean sheets and goals for and against but when these stats are pointed out to you, you’re pleasantly surprised.

“Most goals scored and least conceded - that’s the formula you want.

“If you’re greedy, you want both, and I have to say I’m pretty greedy this year and the boys are under no illusions, they know I want both.

“We’re going to have high standards all through the season and the hard work and those demands started in pre-season, so the boys knew what they were signing up for.

“It’s difficult to get both but at the moment we’re doing well at both ends of the pitch.

“You’ve got to give credit to both parts of the team but not individually.

“Some of the defenders have been scoring goals, so it’s not just clean sheets, well done defenders and goalkeeper, it’s defend from the front and attack from the back and that’s what we’re trying to create.

“I did say in the summer there’ll be more goals from this team. That’s proving to be the case but I’ve always built my teams on being hard to score against.”

Codey Cosgrave and Henry Sinai gave Sittingbourne a half-time cushion against Deal, with Jack Steventon, Joe Boachie and Ryan Kingsford adding late goals.

Maxwell said it was “hard to pick a fault in our game” but felt the winning margin was “slightly flattering” as the Brickies maintained their 100% home record.

Attention turns to the FA Trophy and a trip to Winchester, who play a level above Sittingbourne in Southern League Premier South.

City are just outside the relegation zone but the Brickies can’t get ahead of themselves.

They made that mistake when they faced Winchester’s fellow strugglers, Plymouth Parkway, in the FA Cup this season, losing 3-0 in the third qualifying round.

Maxwell hopes they have learned from the experience.

“There’s a fine line between being over-confident or too respectful,” said Maxwell.

“You’ve got to be confident in your own abilities but respect the opposition as well.

“The main focus for me is not allowing that complacency we showed against Plymouth Parkway to ever slip in like that again.

“It really did that day and I hope the players remember very rawly, like I do, because it was an opportunity missed.

“I keep telling them do not let opportunities pass you by.

“We have to make sure we never look back at the end of this game and say we weren’t mentally right.”

Defender and captain Liam Smith is available, having missed the Deal game as a precaution.

With a strong squad at his disposal, Maxwell will consider the best XI to trouble Winchester.

He’s picked different sides for different tests throughout the season.

“We definitely do not have a fixed XI,” said Maxwell.

“The team selections will show you that.

“I think I made five changes one week after a win and four after another win.

“It’s not about keeping the boys guessing, it’s about them understanding that they don’t need to play every week and accepting it.

“That’s where managing this squad is probably my biggest test, to play them enough to satisfy them.

“It is about managing them but also you’ve got to keep them fighting fit and match-ready.”

Sittingbourne have signed midfielder James Bessey-Saldanha from promotion rivals Margate.

He made his debut as a second-half substitute against Deal.

“He’s a player I’ve admired since first managing against him,” said Maxwell.

“He’s an excellent footballer technically, a great mover, a very good dribbler and ball manipulator, and someone who supplies great balls into the box.

“He needs to add more goals to his game, and that’s something we’re going to talk about and work towards, but at 28 he’s still got great years ahead of him.

“I believe he has the ability to play different positions.

“It’s part of the reason he’s here but he’s also got to refine what he’s best at and be brilliant at it.

“People associate James with being a winger but I think he can play a bit more central and give us another option in there.”