molesey170905

Newboys Ramsgate climb to second

After knocking Ryman League rivals Croydon Athletic out of the FA Cup last Saturday, Ramsgate returned to Surrey this week in 4^th position in Ryman League One to face Molesey, writes Arran Ayres.

Both sides started strongly in midfield, testing each other’s defence, and after two minutes the home side were rewarded with a free kick some 40 yards out, but this came to nothing.

Two minutes later the first real chance fell to the visitors, when Steffan Ball broke down the right wing but his cross was just too far for Shaun Welford charging into the box.

The Rams nearly snatched the lead four minutes later when Welford ran wide to the left, beating Matt Ottley before cutting inside to go 1-on-1 with ‘keeper Adie Creamer, who couldn’t hold Welford’s left-foot volley but managed to get to the resulting loose ball first.

Shane Suter was also busy on the left wing, and was managing to get a number of good crosses into the Molesey box despite close marking, keeping Creamer on his toes.

A high-footed challenge on Ball on 26 minutes resulted in a free kick to the Rams, which was played short to Edd Vahid although Phil Caughter managed to force it into touch.

The throw in reached Ollie Schulz, whose flick-on header found Suter who, in turn, headed goalwards forcing Creamer to punch clear.

The half continued in similar vein, with a strongly contested midfield but more action in the Molesey area than that of the Rams, with Danny Twyman having a relatively untroubled time.

David Cory was also lively in his first start for the Rams and on 39 minutes he beat two defenders before being brought down 20 yards out – the resulting free kick being put over just over the bar by Suter.

The Rams were beginning to exert real pressure now, and within four minutes another cross from Suter from the left was just over Ball’s head, but when returned by Warren Schulz to the near post was reached by Creamer first.

A minute later a free kick from Ben Laslett reached Cory, who again beat two to go wide and forced a corner from the defence.

The Moles hung on as the half came to a close but, in stoppage time, a cross from Edd Vahid, which appeared to be flicked on by Welford, was put into the net by the onrushing Ball.

There was a protest for offside from the Molesey defence but the linesman was on the spot and his flag stayed down, giving the Rams a one-goal advantage at the interval.

In the second half the Rams came out the stronger and continued to dominate the game, although after only two minutes play was interrupted when Suter found himself being trampled on by Jon Bayada.

Five minutes later the Rams nearly extended their lead after Ball forced yet another corner, which was put in deep by Suter to Cory, who side-footed the ball over from the edge of the box as it dropped out of the sun.

Jim Ward brought on Stuart Vahid for the hardworking Welford on 56 minutes, who went out to the right to allow Ball a more central role. On 60 minutes a corner from Suter was flicked-on by the head of Ollie Schulz to be collected by Creamer, but the ‘keeper couldn’t hold it and the ball fell to Stuart Vahid who made no mistake with a half-volley from the edge of the 6 yard box for Ramsgate’s second.

The game continued with the vast majority of the play in Molesey’s half, and with more chances falling to the Rams, notably on 80 minutes when Cory got round the last defender on the right and cut in to volley low at Creamer, who just managed to parry the ball wide.

A double substitution followed for Ramsgate, with Cory and Warren Schulz giving way to Mark Munday and Michael Yianni.

Still more chances fell to the Rams, with the pace of Stuart Vahid and Yianni causing real problems for the flagging defence, and on 90 minutes a long ball forward from the halfway line by Michael Cassar beat Creamer off his line but just cleared the bar.

In stoppage time the Moles almost clawed one back, when a thunderbolt of a volley by Phil Ruggles from 30 yards out on the right called for Twyman to save at full stretch.  However, the ball was immediately back at the other end, with Yianni travelling through to Ball whose sidefooted effort went just wide.

The result moves the Ryman new boys up to 2^nd place in the League on goal difference, and on Tuesday (20^th) Ramsgate are back in League action when they play host to former Everton and Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall’s Hastings United at Southwood, 7:45pm kickoff.

And on Saturday, 24th, the Rams entertain Combined Counties League side Southall, in the FA Cup second qualifying round at Southwood Stadium (3pm).

On Saturday (24^th) the Rams have a home tie against the other Southall, the football club, in the next round of the FA Cup, 3pm kickoff.

Ramsgate:  Twyman, E Vahid,  Cassar,  Morris, O Schulz,  Laslett,  Cory (Munday 80), W Schulz ( Yianni 80), S Welford (S Vahid 56),  Ball,  Suter. Subs:  Gregory and S Pettit.