Donvieve Jones puts Sittingbourne’s remarkable form down to the Ryan Maxwell factor as they look to make more FA Trophy history this weekend.

The Brickies are having a season to remember as they prepare to face National League South side Salisbury in the fourth round at Woodstock on Saturday (3pm).

It’s the furthest they’ve ever been in the competition and they’re also top of Isthmian South East after rattling off 14 successive wins before drawing 1-1 at Ashford on New Year’s Day.

Jones is one of two survivors from the squad Maxwell inherited two years ago - skipper Bagasan Graham the other - and has seen the transformation from relegation battlers to title contenders.

The Northern Irishman celebrated his 100th game in charge as the Brickies beat Sheppey 4-0 on Boxing Day.

That was his 59th victory, with 23 draws and only 18 defeats, scoring 216 goals and conceding 103.

It’s clear to see the impact Maxwell has had at Woodstock.

“It all stems from when Maxy came in,” said right-back Jones. “It’s just his mindset - you can see it in the players.

“We’ve all signed because he’s the manager and the way the club’s going behind the scenes, it’s the perfect match.

“Me and Bags have seen some changes, from being third from bottom to being in the play-offs and now top of the table.

“There’s a long way to go but it’s been good to see how things have changed.

“A new mindset has come in and changed everything.

“Maxy has a way of playing. When you sign it’s very obvious how he wants to play.

“Either you agree to it and you’re willing to adapt your own personal style, or you don’t agree to it and you just go somewhere else.

“I adapted my game with his instructions to suit the team’s style of play, which is why it’s working well.”

Hard work is a key part of Maxwell’s methods.

The players have bought into that and Jones, who’s returning to fitness after a knee injury, believes they are reaping the benefits.

“It’s great to be a part of a title challenge,” said Jones. “It inspires our standards.

“From pre-season, we’ve always set high standards and it’s really just about maintaining those.

“We’ve had something to work towards since pre-season and we’re doing the things we’re doing now so we can achieve our goal.

“We’re leaving no stone unturned.

“If we have to do extra running in training, we’re doing it, things like that.

“We’re always giving 100% because the harder we work, the better we get and it makes it easier on a Saturday.

“Right now, we’re reaping the benefits of how hard we’ve worked since pre-season.

“Even before pre-season, we got given specific programmes to do, which made pre-season easier because everyone came back in good shape.

“All the little 1 per cents, they all add up, and when you’ve worked so hard to keep pushing and pushing, you should be getting good results

“The harder you work, the luckier you get or the better results you get, whereas if we were lazy from pre-season and everyone was just doing their own thing, we wouldn’t be where we are.

“But we’re all on the same page and Maxy’s instilled this mindset into us.

“We take things day by day, session by session, and we’ll see where it gets us at the end of the season.

“He’s one of the rare managers I’ve had that anything he says, it happens, if we do what he tells us.

“We have to be the hardest-working team to be the best team.

“It’s amazing when he says something and we do it without taking any shortcuts and it happens.

“It’s unbelievable to see but it’s also a credit to him.

“He knows his stuff, that’s why he’s a top manager and we all love playing for him.”

Sittingbourne have beaten higher-league opposition in every round of the Trophy so far this season.

In Salisbury, they’re hoping to take a second National League South scalp, having come from 2-1 down to beat Enfield 4-2 in round three.

“It all comes down to the hard work we’ve done in pre-season,” said Jones.

“We’re achieving good wins against higher opposition. It’s just great to be a part of.

“I’ve never been this far in the FA Trophy and I don’t think many of the boys have either.

“Although we were 2-1 down against Enfield, I know us boys always believe we’re going to come back and as long as we’re chipping away and sticking to the game plan, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to come back.

“We’ve just got to stay humble with our work and keep going and going and pushing and pushing and hopefully create our own luck and our own opportunities.

“The dressing room is really good at the minute and the confidence is sky-high.

“From the squad, to the chairman, to the fans, everyone’s so close and what the club are trying to do behind the scenes, we’re in a really positive place. Long may it continue.”

Henry Sinai gave Sittingbourne the lead at Ashford on New Year’s Day but they were denied a 15th consecutive league win when Mike West claimed an injury-time equaliser.