SHEPPEY UTD V HOOPS PREVIEW

It comes as something of a surprise to see Sheppey Utd, the Hoops’ opponents at Sheerness on Tuesday night, in a lowly 14th place in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division table.
The “Ites”, who are one of the best supported clubs in the league, were riding high in third position at the end of October but just two wins in their past 11 league games has seen Ernie Batten’s team slide slowly down the table and they now sit six points behind Deal having played two matches more.
But it’s been a different story in the Kent Reliance Senior Trophy, where Sheppey have fought their way through to the final to set up a clash with Whitstable Town at Maidstone’s Gallagher Stadium on April 8, and that achievement underlines that the Hoops can expect another tough 90 minutes on Tuesday after the two sides fought out a goalless draw at the Charles Ground in the opening weeks of the season.
Deal, however, will have been lifted by Saturday’s 4-1 home win over Hollands & Blair, which ended their own “mini slump”, and they go into the Sheppey game knowing that victory would lift them back into the top half of the table.