Ashford Town 2-3 Ramsgate - Not winning knocked our confidence - Ward

Tom Tsangarides who was a threat all night cut in from the let and let fly from the angle.  Now whether Scott Chalmers Stevens had the shot covered we will never know as it whipped off of Ashmore’s head and flew into the top corner with the keeper motionless!
 
Rams boss Jim Ward was buzzing after the game as his side gained their first win of the New Year when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game. 

“You wouldn’t believe how fraught the boys have been with not winning.” Ward said.

“They’ve got themselves in a right state – they lost confidence, they lost belief and it my job to put that back into them. 

“We had five lads tonight the oldest of whom was 19 – the futures great but we must win a game every now and then.  We’ve drawn eight of the last twelve before tonight which is not good enough, but we’ll happily take the three points tonight.”
 
For Ashford boss Steve Lovell, the disappointment was obvious. 

“To be honest I didn’t think that we deserved to get anything out of the game tonight – we didn’t play at all.  Last four or five games we’ve been playing really well but tonight…” Lovell reflected, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.  

“Fair play to Jim’s side – they worked hard and they’re a big strong physical side who can play! 

“We allowed them to play and we had the ball we didn’t – but we still should have got something out of it at the end of the night, but sometimes a manager has to put his hands up and give the opposition credit and I think that tonight, is one of those occasions – they fully deserved to win.
 
It was an entertaining game for the neutrals but for managers like us it was frustrating – the inconsistencies that happen in the game with the officials as was shown again tonight, “but” Lovell shrugged, “we’ll just have to get on with it.”
 
The rams were first out of the blocks when after only 7 minutes Tsangarides was brought down in the box and Liam Quinn duly sent the keeper the wrong way to give Ramsgate the lead. 

Chalmers-Stevens then produced a fine double save to deny Tsangarides before Mark Lovell was thwarted on the very edge of the Rams boss by combination of keeper Danny Twyman and James Gregory – who was to endure an “interesting” night.
 
The home side levelled on the half hour when Tom Murphy latched onto the end of a huge clearance to drill the ball home from the edge of the box. 

Just before half time, Gregory was cautioned for taking a free kick too quickly by the fussy Mr Croft – a decision that was to have implications after the break.
 
Six minutes after half-time there were loud Ramsgate cries for a penalty as Tsangarides appeared to be felled by Chalmers Stevens when through on goal, but referee Croft waved away the protests. 

Incredibly a minute later exactly the same thing happened and this time the official pointed to the spot.  Tsangarides dusted himself down only to see his spot kick brilliantly turned aside by the Ashford keeper.
 
Twyman then had to be alert to tip over Murphy’s drive before Mr Croft awarded his third and most mysterious penalties of the night. 

A high ball into the Rams penalty area was cleared, but referee Croft blew and pointed to the spot, and then to the bewilderment of most of the crowd showed Gregory his second yellow card of the night – meaning an early bath for the Ramsgate number 3. 

Anyhow, Mitchell Sherwood’s penalty was hard and true and beyond Twyman’s dive and the scores were level again.
 
The sending off galvanised the visitors, and Ben Laslett brought a brilliant save out of Chalmers-Stevens with an angled drive, before for the home side in their relegation fight disaster struck. 

With just seven minutes left, Tsangarides cut in from the left and his shot flicked off Ashmore and flew into the top corner of the need to wish Ramsgate all three points.
 
There are two crumbs of comfort that Lovell and Ashford can take from this defeat – firstly their three rivals at the bottom, Whitstable Town, Eastbourne Town and Walton Casuals – all lost in midweek! 

Oh and the second crumb – bizarrely they play each other – with Ashford at Walton and Whitstable at Eastbourne – this coming Saturday!  What a day that could be at the foot of Ryman One South in the race for survival!!!
 
Ashford Town: Scott Chalmers-Stevens, Carl Harrold, Lee hockey, Toby Ashmore, Laurence Harvey (Joe Fuller 66), Matt Newman (Nick Smith 66), Mitchell Sherwood, Ross Morley, Mark Lovell, Tom Murphy, Chris Borchescu.
Subs: Ronnie Dolan, Dan Shearing, Darren Ibrahim.

Goals: Tom Murphy 30, Mitchell Sherwood 70 (pen)

Ramsgate: Danny Twyman, Olly Gray, James Gregory, Luke Wheatley, Will Graham, Ben Laslett, Liam Quinn, Warren Schulz, Joe Taylor (Gary Lockyer 88), Tom Tsangarides (Gary Mickelborough 86), Rhys Lawson (Curtis Winnett 83).
Subs: Simon Pettit, Sam Mott

Goals: Liam Quinn 7 (pen), Joe Taylor 52, Toby Ashmore 84 (own goal)

Booked: James Gregory 45

Sent off: James Gregory 68 

Attendance: 153
Referee: Mr Gary Croft
Assistants: Mr Kevin Welsh and Mr Martin Peck