Herne Bay 0-2 Ramsgate - It's probably one of our worst performances of 2013, admits Tim Dixon

HERNE BAY 0-2 RAMSGATE
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 20^th March 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

RAMSGATE boss Tim Dixon admitted this was his side’s worst performance in 2013 – but two late goals from striker Ian Pulman grabbed fifth-place in the table.

Herne Bay were the better side during a dominant first half but they couldn’t turn their dominance into clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

The east Kent derby was heading towards a stalemate but 28-year-old Pulman scored twice in the last eight minutes to send Ramsgate into the play-off picture – on 56 points – with seven games remaining.

Herne Bay went into the game unbeaten in their last three games, although their last two matches fell victim to waterlogged pitches. 

They clearly looked better than their fifteenth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table with 37 points from 30 games suggested as they made their local rivals look ordinary in the first half.

Herne Bay made a couple of changes and handed goalkeeper Luke Nalder, 17, his debut, following his loan move from League Two Gillingham.

Ramsgate were without suspended pair Warren Schulz and Tom Chapman, whilst Dean Hill wasn’t risked.

Dixon revealed he gave his players a few words of encouragement during the half-time interval and that resulted in them turning it around after the break.


“I couldn’t wait to get in at half-time because I thought we were really poor first half,” he said.

”We didn’t come out of the traps. They started very well. There was only one team in it first half so I couldn’t wait to get in at half-time, not really ripping into them, but we had a good chat and we said we had to be better and we were better with the ball. 

”We obviously took our chances and they didn’t.

”I’m pleased with a clean sheet.  If you stay resolute and keep to your principles and you can get results but overall very, very pleased with the three points.

”Collectively it’s probably one of the worst performances of 2013 really. We’re looking to improve on that. I’ll take the result all day long. 

”I think Simon (Halsey) will be disappointed.  He could’ve got something out of it.  I’m at the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got a clean sheet away from home and we’ve got three points so you can’t ask no more than that really.”

Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey was bitterly disappointed with his side’s poor second half performance.

”Not happy with the second half, not at all!  It was like two different sides.  That’s our problem. We can’t get consistency over 90 minutes,” he said.

Reflecting on the first half, Halsey said: “We was the better side. We didn’t ask enough questions of them. We got into their defending third a lot of times and we didn’t have that pinpoint pass, that killer pass.  They didn’t make mistakes. We dominated the first half. 

”Second half. We came out a completely different side!”

Herne Bay were forced to shoot from distance inside the opening nine minutes when left-back Tom Bryant, striker Byron Walker and central midfielder Ben Brown all tried their luck but were all off target.

Herne Bay went closer with a decent opening in the 21^st minute.

Sam Bewick raced forward on the counter attack before sweeping the ball out wide to winger Dean Grant and his first time cross was met at the near post by Walker, hooking a shot from six-yards that looped over the bar.
 
Walker then turned provider when he played the ball over to James Turner, who steered his right-footed volley well wide of the right-hand post from 25-yards.

The vocal Ramsgate supporters had to wait until the 29^th minute for their only first half chance.

Pulman picked the ball up on the halfway line and penetrated the Herne Bay defence with a fine solo run straight down the middle but he stroked his left-footed shot wide of the left-hand post from eighteen-yards.

Dixon added: “I think you’ve just summed it up – our only first half chance!

”It isn’t really good enough. You’ve got to be making more chances! We were going up the slope here, it’s never easy. Going the other way second half I think it was much more comfortable for us.”

But the best chance of the first half came Herne Bay’s way, three minutes before the break.

James Turner was clipped by Ramsgate defender Tom Parkinson inside the D and Essex-based referee Keith Yeo awarded the home side a free-kick, only 20-yards from goal.

Up stepped Calum McGeehan, who clipped his right-footed free-kick over the wall and Ramsgate keeper Daren Hawkes raised his right hand above his head to tip the ball over the bar.

Bewick swung in the resulting corner from the left and McGeehan headed straight at Hawkes from eight-yards at the far post.

Dixon said: “Take the free-kick for example. I thought Daren Hawkes’ made a magnificent save from Calum McGeehan.  He’s tipped it over the bar and it keeps us in it. Had they gone in 1-0 and their heads are up.  Instead of that it’s 0-0 and we can regroup and come out again for the second half.”

The Rams boss said he was pleased with his side’s approach after the interval.

”Magnificent team spirit second half. I said they’ve got to be 50-60% better than the first half and they were and we were the better team. We were quicker to the ball; we made more challenges; the communication was better and overall just a better second half performance.”

When asked what he said at the break, Halsey replied: “Don’t do exactly what we done for the second 45 and we went and done it!”

When asked to explain why, the Herne Bay boss replied, “No I can’t. We done it against Crawley Down. We were 3-1 up at half-time and we ended up having to battle out to get a 4-3 win.  It’s like Jeckyl and Hyde in the second half.  Why? I ain’t got a clue!”

Halsey added: “Yes, the first half performance was very positive.  I thought we were going to grow in stature and go on and win the game. I didn’t even envisage losing 2-0 at half-time that’s for sure!”

Ramsgate came out with more purpose and created an opening with only 92 seconds on the clock.

Sam Gore advanced from left-back into the Herne Bay half before playing the ball into Pulman’s feet and the striker turned before curling a low right-footed drive around the far post from eighteen-yards.

A poor clearance from debutant goalkeeper Luke Nalder – both of the goalkeeper’s are on loan from Gillingham – went straight to Macauley Murray, who returned a first time right-footed drive from 45-yards, but Nalder managed to get back on to his line to make a comfortable save.

Halsey was satisfied with his goalkeeper’s first game in senior football.

He said: “He touched the ball twice in the first half.  That’s how dominating we were in the first half. Second half again he touched it a little bit more. He made a great save in the first half from our error again.

”Second half he done what he had to do. His kicking sometimes weren’t brilliant but he’s a young lad learning and other than that I thought he done well.”

The game then turned into a midfield battle, before Ramsgate should have snatched the lead in the final eighteen minutes with an almost clinical three-man move.

Ramsgate defender Curtis Robinson cleared a Herne Bay attack from inside his penalty box and the ball was picked up by Spaniard Jon Equileor inside his own half and he produced a quality pass to release Pulman, who wriggled his way past three defenders before stabbing his right-footed shot past the left-hand post from fifteen-yards.

As the game entered the final fifteen minutes another chance came Ramsgate’s way, with Herne Bay going inside their shell.

Gore picked up the loose ball and sprinted forward before playing the ball into Pulman and his cut-back was snatched at by Ben Laslett, his left-footed shot looping over the bar from 20-yards.

Herne Bay substitute Jordan Agbajae did excellently well to turn Robinson on the by-line before cutting along the line but he was never going to beat Hawkes from such a tight angle, the Ramsgate stopper diving to pluck the ball out of the air.

Pulman issued Herne Bay a further warning when his left-footed shot on the turn sailed agonisingly over the crossbar, before Agbajae released Herne Bay winger Rhys Lawson down the left and he spooned his right-footed shot over from just inside the Ramsgate penalty area.

But Ramsgate broke the deadlock in the 82^nd minute when Equileor played the ball into Pulman’s feet. The striker shrugged off Bryant to cut inside before placing his right-footed shot across Nalder to find the bottom far corner.

Dixon said: “Puly only needs a couple of chances (to score).  He was unlucky when he went around the keeper at the end not to get another one and OB before he set Ian Pulman for the second one was unlucky not to score as well.

”We had a few chances at the end. We’ve taken two of ours and that’s all you need to do.”

Reflecting on the goal, Dixon said: “He got behind a couple of times and they were punished for it. He took it very well and he just got a little bit more space. They played quite a high line and they was always space in behind to exploit it.

”It’s a great finish. I’m pleased that you’ve mentioned Jon there because he’s had a couple of games now and he’s put a great ball through for Puly.  Jon’s worked his socks off tonight and he’s getting his rewards with a starting place in the team at the moment.

Halsey added: “He (Pulman) was a lively for them, yes, but again it was a our mistake that caused the first goal and it’s our mistake that’s caused the second goal!

”We didn’t get a tackle in for the first one and then Puly’s gone through.  The one thing I said at half-time, I said don’t let him get a sniff and we’ve let him have two sniffs and he’s a goalscorer.

”That’s the inconsistency where we are! Outstanding for 45 minutes and not outstanding for the second 45 minutes and we need to nail it somehow.

Pulman then played in left-winger Steve O’Brien, who lashed his left-footed shot narrowly over the crossbar, before Ramsgate sealed the victory with sixteen seconds of normal time remaining.

O’Brien was left in acres of space on the left hand side of the penalty area and opted
to play the ball inside to the unmarked Pulman, who steered his right-footed shot into the bottom near corner for his fifteenth-goal for Ramsgate this season, much to the delight of the vocal traveling fans.

Dixon said: “Fantastic!  He’s (O’Brien) picked him out. He could’ve gone for it himself.  Probably he’s confidence wasn’t great because he’s missed one two minutes before.  He’s played the ball inside and another good finish.

”It gave us a little bit of breathing space because at 1-0 the game’s never over. Even at 2-0 if they get a quick one they can easily score two goals in a minute so you have to be on your toes.”

Pulman was denied a hat-trick inside injury time when he rounded Nalder and slotted his shot towards the bottom near corner, but McGeehan made an excellent sliding goal-line clearance at the near post to prevent Ramsgate scoring a flattering third goal.

Halsey’s side were not an attacking threat during the second half and he said: “No. Not at all.  It’s like two different sides second half.  A really different side second half.  That’s not good enough!”

Six of the eight Kent club’s in the division occupy the top eight positions in the Ryman League Division One South table, Ramsgate being in fifth, ten points behind second-placed Dulwich Hamlet, who are three points behind Maidstone United.

Dixon said: “Most managers will look to the play-offs at the beginning of the season and that’s why we’re no different.

”I’m no different to Ray Turner (Faversham Town), Scott Porter (Hythe Town) and Neil Cugley (Folkestone Invicta), they all want to be up there.  I think Jay Saunders (Maidstone United) was favourite to be up there anyway and the Dulwich boys are always going to come close.

”As a Kent team, it was Scott Porter who said it’s really hard for Kent teams to be up there, he’s right because you have a lot of derbies and they’re always difficult games.

”I said to the lads, it’s nice to be at this time of the season with still something to play for. We’re still amongst the mix. We’re still there. We’ve got to keep going basically.”

Dixon was full of praise for the traveling fans and said: “Great support from the supporters here tonight. They’ve had to watch a few dire performances but they keep coming, certainly away from home we’ve had great support.  Our home crowds have been a bit dwindled but we haven’t helped ourselves there but great support away from home.  They make a lot of noise and the lads’ appreciate it.”

Halsey is disappointed with his side’s position in the table in their inaugural campaign at this level.

”I’m absolutely sick of losing to teams that are up in the top six and they ain’t no better than us and that’s the long and short of it,” said Halsey, whose side have won four and drawn three of their fifteen home games.

”We’ve been better away from home. We know that. Much better away from home. We’ve moved up a level ain’t we. Better players. Better teams. Better individuals. Better collectively.  We’ve not adapted to it yet.”

Herne Bay: Luke Nalder, Nathan Eastwood, Tom Bryant, Calum McGeehan, James Campbell, Sam Bewick, Dean Grant, Ben Brown (Billy Bennett 70), Byron Walker, James Turner (Jordan Agbajae 59), Rhys Lawson.
Subs: Michael Turner, Gary Sayer, Stephen Lloyd

Ramsgate: Daren Hawkes, Tom Hickman (Joshua Maughan 76), Sam Gore, Tom Parkinson, Jon Equileor, Ben Laslett, James Sherman (Jack Granger 80), Curtis Robinson, Ian Pulman, Macauley Murray, Steve O’Brien.
Subs: Dean Hill, Joe Hickman, Shannon Harris

Goals: Ian Pulman 82, 89

Booked: Curtis Robinson 37

Attendance:  194
Referee: Mr Keith Yeo (Aveley, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Kevin Welsh (Sittingbourne) & Mr Richard Joss (Margate)