Winning football is ultimately all that matters for Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell.

The Brickies boss has been experimenting with different systems and styles during pre-season.

He wants his side to get the ball down and play when pitches allow but not at the expense of results.

Bourne finished third in Isthmian South East last season and have set their sights on promotion.

That means adapting to different conditions.

“I think you’ve got to look at what works and you’ve got to look at your surface and what you’re suited to,” said Maxwell.

“We do have very good ball manipulators, boys who are technically very good.

“If the pitch is better, I’d like to take an extra pass if it’s on, gain control of possession and gain control of the game.

“That’s what we want to do but we will have to adapt no doubt.

“You have to play both sides of the game no matter what surface you’ve got or who you are.

“Although some styles are more pleasing on the eye, the most pleasing thing about being a football manager or player is winning, so we’ll just have to do what works.

“It would be nice to pass the ball a little bit more than we did last year but we will do what we have to do.”

Possession is all well and good - it’s what teams do with it that counts.

Maxwell added: “Some clubs have got different cultures, I’ve noticed that.

“Some managers tweet when they’ve kept possession but they’ve lost 3-1. I don’t get that.

“I understand if you’ve dominated the game and you’ve had shot after shot and the goalkeeper’s been exceptional, and that does happen.

“But if you’ve lost hands down but kept 60% of the ball, well, that just shows you’re good at keeping the ball, it doesn’t make you a good team.

“We can all coach to keep the ball. That’s easy. Pass, pass, pass, go backwards, that’s the easy bit, but where’s the end product?

“The bottom line is the result, I don’t care what anyone says. It’s a results business.”

Sittingbourne are set to announce details of an open training session before the start of the season, likely to be Saturday, July 27.

It’s all part of bringing the supporters and the new-look squad together.

“We’ve got that coming up which will be great for the fans to integrate with the players,” said Maxwell.

“I’m big on the fans and players being as one and it’s great that the players can get to know them and vice-versa and try and make it a culture of the club where everyone’s involved and part of it.

“Also, the players know then just how much people care about the football club which is also something that gets lost.

“We all get involved in our own little worlds but there’s people that love the club and if it wasn’t for the fans there wouldn’t be a club. I’m keen to remind our players of that.”

Sittingbourne had mixed results in friendlies against National League South opposition last week, beating Maidstone 4-1 on Tuesday and losing 3-1 to Welling on Saturday.

Maxwell said: “We’ve got to keep trying things to find out what we’re best at with the players we have.

“There’s a lot of positives from both games, with the scorelines immaterial because you’re up against different challenges.

“You’re looking to see what shape we’re in physically and obviously then combination play and relationships being built, which is very important at this stage as well.

“It’s great when you win but it’s not the most important thing. We got a lot out of last week.”

Sittingbourne held a minute’s applause in memory of club director Peter Pitts before last night’s friendly against Folkestone. Invicta won the game 2-1.

The Brickies visit Southern Counties East Lordswood this Saturday (3pm).