Prolific Sittingbourne striker Mitchell May is a man in demand - but he’s going nowhere at the moment.

May scored his 17th goal of the season as the Brickies won 2-0 at Dover in the FA Trophy first round on Saturday.

And he struck again last night in a 5-0 home win over Steyning Town as Ryan Maxwell’s side moved up to third in Isthmian South East.

There’s big interest in the 21-year-old, who attracted Championship attention last season.

And while manager Maxwell would take great pleasure in seeing May kick on, now is not the time.

“To be completely honest and truthful, we’ve had loads of interest recently,” said Maxwell.

“We are well aware that when a player does well, particularly a goalscorer, then there’s going to be interest and there have been many interested parties. It’s what we expected.

“Ultimately Mitch has more work to do here, more development, and I do believe here is the best place for him because this is where he’s developed so far the most, so something’s right at the football club.

“I’ve always said there’s a player there, and there is, but the very best of Mitch is definitely in the future, there’s more work to be done and it’s definitely to be done at this football club.

“There’s full-time clubs interested in Mitch at various levels.

“We had league interest previously and I think there’ll be more league interest but at the minute it’s dealing with what’s coming in on an hourly basis nearly and in the main it’s Step 1 and Step 2 clubs.

“As I’ve said to Mitch, he will at some point move on but it’s not yet, there’s more work that needs to be done.

“I want Mitch to succeed, I don’t him to move too soon.

“I want him to move to the right club at the right time.”

May knows he’s in good hands with Maxwell looking after him and is in no rush to move on.

“He’s more aware of himself than anyone else other than myself because I’m very aware of what he can be,” added the Brickies boss.

“The potential has been there for a while and he’s just starting to realise a little bit of it, but there’s much more to come and he knows that.

“He knows there’s things that need to be improved and he’s getting the opportunity to develop here while he’s playing, and that’s the key.”

Teenager Codey Cosgrave scored the clincher at Dover with a classy free-kick as Sittingbourne upset the Isthmian Premier high-fliers for the second time this season.

Victory secured a place in round two of the Trophy for the first time since 1998 and a trip to Winchester on November 16.

Maxwell is tipping Cosgrave, who also scored against Steyning, for a big future, while Donvieve Jones, Jay Beckford and Tony Martin were also on target.

“He’s not long turned 19 - he’s a talent as well,” said Maxwell.

“I actually signed Codey off a 15-second clip. He did something I felt you can only do if you’ve got something quite special about you, I invited him over and the rest is history.

“What he has that most 19-year-olds don’t have is composure, he’s got tremendous composure in possession, he’s a very good athlete, a good passer, a good technician, he understands the game and plays various positions.

“The clip I saw, he was a striker and he scored a goal, and it was the way he manipulated the ball and created the opportunity that impressed me.

“For me, he’s been playing right-back and CDM, which shows you the game understanding he has and also the faith I have in him. He’s one for the future, definitely.

“Again, there’s lots of work to do but he’s certainly a player I would put my hat on and say will play league football.”

Maxwell was delighted with the performance at Crabble as Sittingbourne added to this season’s FA Cup replay victory over the Isthmian Premier leaders.

It’s hard enough to beat a team in a higher league once, let alone twice, in the same season.

“They’re obviously a very good team, they’re top of the league above and you’ve got to give them full respect,” said Maxwell.

“Despite the fact we’d played them before, that meant nothing on the day and it was something I was very focused on getting into my players.

“That was the theme, getting ourselves prepared mentally because, like all human beings, you can take your foot off the gas if you think you’ve got someone’s number.

“We made a big emphasis on making sure were correct mentally, the boys performed extremely well and we managed to get another win against them.

“It’s an achievement and a half for the players, and it’s difficult to pick a man-of-the-match because the collective have to perform and all do their jobs.

“The mentality and strength of character, I thought was brilliant, and we were good value for both our wins.”

Sittingbourne host last season’s play-off opponents Three Bridges at Woodstock this Saturday (3pm).

That’s followed by a trip to Phoenix Sports on Tuesday (7.45pm).