Hythe Town 0-4 Ramsgate - We are one of the best sides in history to play in this League, says title-winning Ramsgate manager Ben Smith

Hythe Town 0 – 4 Ramsgate
Location	Reachfields Stadium, off Fort Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 6JS
Kickoff	18/04/2025 13:00

HYTHE TOWN  0-4  RAMSGATE
Isthmian League South East Division
Good Friday 18 April 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Reachfields Stadium

RAMSGATE manager Ben Smith says his championship winning side will go down in history as one of the best teams to play in the Isthmian League.

The Rams have seen off Sittingbourne to celebrate winning the Isthmian League South East Division title, watched by a crowd of 1,226 fans at Reachfields Stadium.

Hythe Town attracted 1,527 against Folkestone Invicta in the Ryman League Division One South on Sunday 27 December 2015, with Clive Cook’s side claiming the local bragging rights in a 2-1 win – but the relegated home side extended their losing streak to seven games and nine without a win as their 14-year stay in the eighth-tier of English football has come to an sorry end earlier this month.

Hundreds of Ramsgate fans were in party spirit, arriving at the stadium early and their side delivered the goods, taking the lead after only 124 seconds through a clinical strike from attacking midfielder, Tijan Jadama, scoring his 12^th goal of the season.

Second-from-bottom Hythe Town showed plenty of desire during the first half in caretaker manager Martin Chandler’s first of three games in charge, following the departure of their second manager of the season in Nick Davis on Wednesday.

The Cannons enjoyed a decent spell during the first half but lacked quality in front of goal, before Ramsgate seized back control in the second half.

Centre-back Jay Leader powered in his ninth goal of the season with a bullet header early in the second half.

Ramsgate scored two late goals with winger Alfie Paxman tapping in his 19^th goal of the season before talisman striker Joe Taylor swept in his 48^th goal of the season, taking his prolific tally to 101 goals over the course of two seasons.

“Thoroughly, thoroughly deserved, thoroughly deserved, a combination of two or three years’ of hard work, even before I was at the club,” said title-winning Smith.

“So many people do so many amazing things at the club and do it for nothing and they do it for the love of the football club. The club’s been run right, you run a football club right and you have the right strategic vision, that’s what will happen.

“My players’ have been absolutely incredible. When you think pre-season, when I came back, we had about six players, myself, the management team, James (Lawson, the chairman), Seb (Tidy).

“We worked incredibly hard and it’s very difficult.  You just have to look at Hythe Town Football Club, it’s very difficult to recruit a team at the end of pre-season and that’s what we did.

“We hit the ground running. I was saying to people give us, if we’re anywhere near it within the first 10 games, we’ll have another good season like we did last year but the players, just the fit was really incredible.

“We’ve been relentless. We’ve been absolutely; we’ve had to be.  The chairman convincing me to come to Ramsgate instead of Herne Bay, where I was going two years’ ago. It wasn’t for money. I had a better deal at Herne Bay, that’s the complete honest truth. I can show you my phone.

“The chairman said to me ‘come to Ramsgate, come and get 100 points for us’ and last year we just fell short of 100 points (89 from 38 games).

“This year, the bar’s gone even higher and look what we’ve done. We have done the unthinkable. I hope this football club gets the credit that it deserves. People have put dollar signs and all that sort of nonsense out there without realising we run our club, this is a sustainable club. It pays for itself. We pay the players properly; it’s all done through the books. There’s no cash in hand, brown envelopes like most clubs at this level. There’s none of that. It’s a proper football club, it’s run properly.

“We train in Ramsgate, we don’t train in London, we don’t train in Essex (like Sittingbourne), we train in Ramsgate and we’ve got local players in this squad, local players in that team.

“It’s an amazing blend and I’m so pleased we’ve done it this way. I get told so often ‘you can’t win a league like that, it’s naïve to think you can play football and play that style of football and that doesn’t win these leagues,’ but guess what? It does and it wins it with an unbelievable points total.

“We've scored 123 (league) goals this year. Let’s put a bit of credit and respect on the fact that the way my team plays, they score goals. We are relentless and we have been relentless.

“I’m delighted for myself but I’m delighted for the club. The people at the club. This isn’t about me. It’s about the people. I’m not in non-league football for anything other than being with good people and creating memories and that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve made history.  In 2006 the team from Thanet upset the odds and went and won (this division) and today we’ve gone and done that and I’m just delighted.

“This trophy, as much as it is for James (Lawson) and the work James and his family have put in and the volunteers and the supporters who have been incredible. 

“This is for Kevin Stupples, who died the night of the play-off defeat last year, who was an unbelievable support to me.  This is for Kevin, who when people wanted to turn on me and that happens in football, that’s non-league football, he was always the one messaging me.

“This is for Ronnie McGrath, whose suffering from motor neurone disease.  He’s an incredible inspiration to the players and I’ve used his name many times when things are looking tough and getting tough and I said to them ‘just think of Ronnie.’ Ronnie travels 100 miles to watch you like, that’s like him running a marathon.  We’ve done it for them.

“I didn’t want to end on that defeat against Chichester when we battered them and we deserved to go up and we didn’t so we as a group have shown an unbelievable amount of character.”

Smith, who guided Canterbury City to the FA Vase Semi-Finals back in 2019 and guided Herne Bay into the Isthmian League Premier Division after play-off success over Haywards Heath Town and Ashford United in April 2022, was asked how this title win rates in his career.

He said: “They’re all very different, the other two were underdogs. This wasn’t.  This has got to be right up there isn’t it. Yes, it’s got to be right up there.

“To go through the play-offs is incredible in terms of that day, the emotion of that day is immense but this is over the course of a season, no one can take that away from us.

“We are, we are one of the best, but we’re also one of the best sides in history to play in this League and that’s a fact!

“I’ve been level-headed, I’m not been too out there and outspoken in terms of what we’re doing but we are one of the best factually, statistically, we are one of the best to ever play in this League and no one will ever take that way from us.

“No on will ever take it away from the football club and going back to it, we do it the right way as well and there’s a lot to be said for that.”

Ramsgate – who finished runners-up in their past two seasons but lost home play-off semi-finals to Hythe Town and Chichester City respectively, have fought off Sittingbourne’s challenge (31 wins, six draws and three defeats) and Ramsgate will lift the silverware at home to local rivals Margate on Easter Monday, in front of an all-ticket sell-out.

Ramsgate have won 35 of their 40 league games, drawn three and lost only twice – scoring 123 goals and conceded 31 with 108 points on the board.

For Hythe Town they suffered relegation and extended their winless run to nine, losing their last seven and have picked up six wins, four draws and 30 defeats, scoring 35 and conceding 99.  The club have gone through 59 players, three managers, two chairmen, two secretaires and one CEO during the season, which has culminated in the club suffering it’s first ever relegation.

Caretaker manager, Martin Chandler, 42, who has recently been appointed under 23s manager for next season, said: “It is a difficult one. We’ve only been in charge for 48 hours and first game was coming into the now champions but I think we competed.

“I think we showed a little bit of want and a little bit of desire and they’re a good side and they’ve got some good players. It’s just about getting it over the line.

“I think sometimes we just lack a little bit of quality in certain areas but you’re playing against top-of-the-league, they’re champions for a reason.

“I think overall – I’ve just said to the boys in there – I said that’s the best performance for the last five months and that’s come from people that were here longer than me, so I’m just happy.”

Chandler revealed he went into the game without having a training session and a player's dad revealed during the post-match interview with Smith that Hythe Town have not trained for the last nine weeks, which probably explains the home side’s lack of fitness during the latter stages today and playing off the cuff.

“We’ve not had no training sessions. I was appointed Wednesday morning, so we were just talking to the lads during the day on Wednesday and Thursday and then straight into this on Friday and we obviously go to Ashford on Monday.”

Ramsgate came out with all guns blazing and took only 124 seconds to open the scoring.

Centre-half Joe Ellul played a 20-yard pass along the deck into right-wing back Roarie Deacon, who cut the ball back from within the right channel for Jadama, who clinically placed his first-time right-footed angled drive across the keeper and into the bottom far corner from 20-yards.

“Yes, a great finish! I said to TJ before the game, ‘you’ve got an opportunity here to go and put yourself in the history books of Ramsgate and be like Warren Schulz,’ a very well respected Ramsgate legend,” said Smith.

“Go and put your name in the folklore like him and after three minutes he’s put us into a dream start. The script was written for him.”

Chandler said: “Like I said to the lads, I said first 5-10 minutes we’ve got to be really, really defensively as a unit and we just switched off. It was exactly the same right at the start of the second half, we just switched off.

“But I haven’t had a chance to work with them so we can only do so much.”

Hundreds of Ramsgate fans would have expected the floodgates to open at that stage.

Deacon floated a right-footed free-kick into the Hythe Town box from the edge of the centre-circle and Jadama’s back-header was comfortably caught by home goalkeeper Charlie Wealands.

Lee Martin stole the ball back on the half-way line on the left before releasing the hungry Jadama, who drove forward before dragging his right-footed shot past the left-hand post from inside the D.

A dominant Ramsgate kept knocking on the door and in the 12^th minute, Deacon threw the ball short to holding midfielder Billy Munday (who won the League below with Deal Town last season) and he fed Taylor, who held off Hythe’s centre-half Louie Procopi, before turning and rolling his left-footed shot from 20-yards into Wealands’ gloves for a comfortable save.

Hythe Town weathered the early storm, however, creating an opening in the 16^th minute.

Winger Anthony Adesite threw the ball to left-back George Taggart, who cut onto his right-foot before putting in a deep cross for right-winger Ellis Brown, who chested the ball down and the ball bounced comfortably into Tom Hadler’s gloves.

Ellul slid to the ground and was penalised by referee Rhys Jeffery for handball as he challenged Javaun Splatt and Hadler lined up a two-man wall for Taggart’s free-kick, which was comfortably gathered by Hadler down on his knees in the middle of his goal.

Chandler said: “Like I say, when you’re down the bottom, you might not get the rub of the green but we showed something today.  That you can compete, we’ve just got to do it over maybe 90 minutes.”

Smith added: “Look, they’re all going to feel like they’re nervy moments but Hadler’s the best keeper in the league isn’t he, so it shouldn’t beat him from there.”

Hythe Town started to play on the front foot and went close to scoring following their first corner.

Taggart swung the ball in with his left-foot from the left and ineffective attacking midfielder Kieron Agbebi found a pocket of space at the near-post to glance his header just past the upright.

Ramsgate – who won the corner count by 3-2 – should have done better at the other end, following Deacon’s first corner, which came in from the right and the Hythe defence failed to pick up Leader, who couldn’t hit the target with his free downward header.

Leader rolled the ball inside to fellow centre-half Tom Clifford, who released Jadama, who easily cut inside Hythe's right-back Amadeus Addotey from the left into the edge of the D before his right-footed drive from 22-yards was comfortably held by Wealands, diving low to his left to prevent the ball nestling into the bottom right-hand corner in the 34^th minute.

“I really don’t think the first half we were really under that much pressure. I think they done alright. They moved it really well, they got it wide, got it into the box but I can’t really remember like a gilt-edged chance, apart from the goal obviously, that really worried Charlie to be honest,” said Chandler.

Hythe Town were showing plenty of desire and having a go against Ramsgate during the first half and eight-goal striker Splatt was to be denied.

Winger Adesite was a threat down the left and he cut into the final third before working the ball to Splatt via a deflection and the striker’s right-footed drive from 18-yards beat Hadler but Leader was positioned in the centre of the goal to volley the ball off the goal-line with his left-foot.

“I think we could’ve come in possibly drawing at half-time. We had two or three really good chances but it just wasn’t to be today,” admitted Chandler.

“The one that got cleared off the line, I think against any old team, or if you’re a bit higher in the league that might go in, that might nick off a knee and go in.

“Like I said to the boys, I’m just proud of them. They worked hard and that is exactly what we said to them at the beginning of the game. First of all, you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to put a shift in and I think everyone done that today.”

Smith added: “There was a lot of jeopardy in the game wasn’t there for us. There’s nothing on it for them so they can throw bodies forward, they can make it uncomfortable in that situation.

“I think the early goal, as much as you want it, it didn’t really help us. We started the game so well and I didn’t feel like we knew whether to stick or twist.”

Hythe Town produced a well-worked move when Brown rolled the ball in behind Clifford and Addotey hung over a cross from the by-line and Splatt jumped and knocked his header straight at Hadler.

Chandler, who used to player-coach Hythe and played for Folkestone Invicta too, said:  “I think when we got it wide, I think we looked dangerous a couple of times, when we went forward but sometimes just that lack of quality maybe right in the last third kind of let us down a little bit, I think.”

Brown fed the ball into holding midfielder Charles Etumu, who clipped a diagonal over the top of Clifford to put Brown through on goal but he lacked composure and his weak left-footed shot was destined to roll past the near post and Hadler dived to his left to comfortably hold.

Both were asked their thoughts going into the interval.

Chandler said: “More of the same. I said the first 10 minutes, it took us probably 10-15 minutes to get into the game but just to know the shape that we wanted to play and I think after 10-15 minutes we were possibly the better side.

“I think we had the better chances so it was more of the same, more fight, just keep working and like I say they did but they ran out of puff a little bit towards the end and then we made a few substitutions.”

Smith added: “Just don’t get bored doing the right things! There were times when we were putting the ball in great areas and then we scored. We should’ve maybe taken another chance, another one or two of the chances and we didn’t and then we suddenly starting messing round with it a little bit. We didn’t know whether to stick or twist.

“Actually today it was play out to go in behind and Benny (Bioletti) had the number of the left-back (Taggart). I mean he had him every time we went down that side and we stopped doing it, so just do that and also look, these games are tough to get through and we were 1-0 up at half-time, so halfway there.”

Ramsgate doubled their lead with only three minutes and 16 seconds on the clock, scoring from their second corner.

Deacon floated the ball in from the right and Leader threw his head at a free header at the back post, burying it into the net from eight-yards .

“I said all week ‘we’re going to score a set-piece today’,” added Smith.

“I mean I will look at the stats but we’ve scored so many, so many set-pieces this year. It is ridiculous. There’s been games where we’ve scored four in a game, like. We are a joke on set-pieces so it’s no coincidence that we went and scored a set-piece.”

Chandler added: “I just said to the boys, you can’t let a centre-half have a free header! He ran from 12-15 yards out, that’s just basic defending and I said you just can’t let that happen and that’s why they’ve had those runs and they score a goal.”

There was an air of controversy when Addotey’s fine through ball along the grass put Splatt through on goal and it appeared that Deacon’s foul was just inside the box and referee Rhys Jeffery awarded Hythe Town a free-kick instead and kept his cards in his pocket.

Splatt’s rasping right-footed free-kick from 20-yards stung Hadler’s fingers and the 28-year-old beat the ball away and Adesite went to pieces inside the box and sent his free header over the Ramsgate crossbar.

“I think possibly that one was the one that might’ve been a penalty,” claimed Chandler.

“I’ve spoken to a few people and they’ve said ‘it was defiantly inside the box,’

“But listen, when you’re down the bottom, you get nothing, absolutely nothing and that’s the way it is, you’ve just got to pick yourself up and go again.

“But that movement was really good, little triangles and we popped it in and the actual passage of play was probably one of our best.”

Smith replied: “Yes, it’s tight isn’t it, let’s have it right. I said to the ref before the game ‘just make sure you’re sure on the decisions you make, just make you’re completely sure, there’s a lot riding on the game’ and the fact that he wasn’t sure was good for us. A good save from Hadler by the way.”

Ramsgate appeared to take their feet of the gas before Hythe’s Taggart lost possession while running out with the ball and Taylor’s left-footed shot on the turn from 25-yards bounced into Wealands’ gloves for a comfortable save.

“Just see the game out, let’s don’t go mad, see the game out, see the game out,” said Smith, who revealed he knew what else was happening on Good Friday.

“I actually knew the scores. I never let anyone tell me the scores of any other game from the sideline. Today, I said they could so I knew the scores elsewhere.”

Ramsgate notched their third goal of the game with a well-worked move, with 33 minutes and 4 seconds on the clock.

Substitute winger Joshua Ajayi played the ball into Taylor who flicked the ball to Jadama, who played a first time pass to release Ajayi down the right and his cross fizzed across the goal-line and Paxman tapped the ball over the line with his left-foot at the back post.

Smith said: “Game over, job done, let’s celebrate.  Basically my front three and Josh and TJ, that four have been great. Let’s not forget Josh’s last kick of the game at Erith Town, free-kick, a worldy free-kick.”

Chandler added: “You’re getting to that time of the game where it’s 3-0 and heads are down and they know they're champions and we know that we’ve been in a game.”

Clinical Ramsgate scored their fourth goal with 43 minutes and 58 seconds when Ajayi cut the ball back from within the right channel and Taylor swept his first time right-footed shot across the keeper to find the bottom far corner.

“Incredible numbers, absolutely incredible numbers. He does what he does best, he puts the ball in the back of the net,” Smith said of Taylor.

“In the Isthmian, he’s the one that everyone would want. He always said he will come and play for me and JT’s a perfect fit at Ramsgate and he’s scored over 100 goals for me, so yes, I think it’s been a perfect match.”

Ramsgate goalkeeper Hadler raced from one end of the pitch to the other to join in with the celebrations with the huge number of away fans and hurt his left knee in the process and sub goalkeeper Henry Newcombe came off the bench to make his seventh appearance of the season.

“Stupid, just an idiot. He’ll be fine for Monday but what an idiot,” Smith said of Hadler.

“I’m pleased Henry (Newcomeb) got on. I would never have done that because it can come across disrespectful but Henry’s been an unbelievable person in this football club who will get very little credit. He won’t get the headlines but Henry has been as important for me as a manager, he’s been as important to me as any other player in this club, what he does around the group and his relaxed manner.

“His dedication and commitment to come along and being the number two keeper is difficult especially in non-league. He’s had better offers to go and play at other clubs but he’s seen the season out with us and he’s been incredible.”

Chandler added: “I don’t think it was a 4-0 game in the end. I think we had a couple of chances. We just didn’t take them and we paid for it at the end.

“We’ve in the 89^th minute, we’re dead on our feet there and they’ve kind of carved through us again but we can take the positives out of it.”

The final whistle brought a pitch invasion from the celebrating travelling fans and Smith was drenched in champagne as Ramsgate captain Taylor will lift up the silverware on Bank Holiday Monday for the visit of local rivals Margate – before they travel to Sittingbourne next Saturday on the final day of a very impressive league campaign.

Smith said: “Just relief, a lot of joy. We’ve worked so hard for it and we’ve deserved it. You can’t say over the two seasons we haven’t deserved to get promoted. We’ve finally done it and such is the mindset, we’ll enjoy tonight and then it all starts again and our thoughts will be firmly on next season.

“The fact it’s a derby means there’s something riding on it. I’m never going to say there’s not, of course it is but it’s weird because all three teams have really got nothing to play for.

“Margate and Sittingbourne are preparing for play-offs and we’re going to go out there and just play to enjoy it.

“We’ve had a great season so there’s no pressure on those two games at all, let’s go and enjoy it and just play our stuff.

“It’s a privilege to play in front of an average of 1,200 and some games a lot more than that. It will be a privilege to be in front of 3,500 on Monday. Let’s enjoy it, let’s enjoy these moments.

“There’s always pressure. I want to win every game. As long as I’m involved in football, that pressure will be there because I want to win. I think I’m a fairly decent manger so why shouldn’t I go and win? Let’s see what happens from here. A lot of things can happen in football, so let’s see what happens between now and the start of next season.”

When asked about Sittingbourne pushing Ramsgate all the way in this title race, Smith replied: “They did but like us last year, no one remembers that. That’s the cut throat nature of non-league football. No one will remember that. No one will remember the season we had last year. They will remember The FA Cup run and they will remember their Trophy run, people will remember that.

“It’s mental. I massively respect what they’ve done. I think the right club, the right team is going up. I hope Sittingbourne go up in the play-offs as well by the way, I will say that.”

When asked his current age, Smith replied he is 37 and turns 38 on Monday – the day Ramsgate get their hands on the silverware and his late nans birthday, saying “it was written in the stars.”

Ryan Maxwell’s Sittingbourne were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Burgess Hill Town today, while Ben Greenhalgh’s Margate thrashed Beckenham Town 6-2 at Hartsdown Park.

Eleventh-placed side Ashford United came away from Littlehampton Town with a 3-1 win and eighth-placed Sheppey United beat Steyning Town Community 3-2.

Sittingbourne have picked up 99 points, Burgess Hill Town 87, Margate 81 and Merstham, who have a game in hand, have collected 71 points this season.

Del Oldfield’s Beckenham Town are three points adrift of the play-offs in sixth-place tonight.

At the bottom, Littlehampton Town go into the final week of the season safe on 40 points, while Phoenix Sports (32, with a game in hand), are in the relegation zone, while Steyning Town Community (22), Hythe Town and Lancing (21) have all dropped, Steyning at the first attempt.

Hythe Town complete their campaign with a trip to Ashford United on Easter Monday, before hosting Beckenham Town here on the final day of the season.

“I think we go into Ashford on Monday and I said to the boys just now, I said if you can carry on and you keep playing like that, you might get a result. It’s all about building,” said Chandler, who was asked about his future.

“Listen, it’s only three games but I said from today into Monday let’s just be positive. There’s a buzz around it. Everyone had the music on and it’s difficult for the players.

“Nick’s been here and he’s been here for the whole season and for someone to come in, none of the lads knew me but they’ve really listened and they’ve taken on everything that we’ve asked of them to do today.

“I said to the boys ‘ let’s go and get two results.’ If we play like we did today, we’re quite capable of getting a result Monday and finishing the season at home against Beckenham next week.

“We had the conversation with (chairman Vishal Nanda) on Wednesday and they asked me to take over for three games and that’s it. That’s all we’re talking about so the next three games and then we’ll re-group at the end of the season and move forward.

“I think it is tough because it is the first time that I’ve kind of managed in any capacity like this but the chairman’s come in, they’ve asked me to kind of take it and I think it’s tough for the players as well because they’re used to somebody, they’re used to the way that people work.

“We’ve come in and listen you can’t do anything in three games, absolutely can’t do anything in three games but what you can do is try and say to them, ‘look, we’ve been relegated, but let’s put something on for the next three games, just for the fans because they’ve been here through thick and thin. They’re still coming, they’re still supporting so I think the last two games the fans will get behind us and try to get six points to finish off the season.

“Just stick with us for the next two games. I think they saw today that they did put a shift in and that’s what we asked of them and even speaking to a few of the games they’re happy.  They were happy with the performance today, so let’s go to Ashford, let’s put another game on and let’s get a big crowd down here for the last game of the season against Beckenham.”

Meanwhile, the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division is a very tough League to get out of, while Ramsgate return to the Isthmian League Premier Division for the first time since 2009.

Hythe Town: Charlie Wealands, Amadeus Addotey, George Taggart, Charles Etumu, Louie Procopi, Oluwalikay Ajayi (Harry Rowland 84), Anthony Adesite (Onoride Ogboe 73), Lucas Dent (Medy Elito 53), Javaun Splatt (Shah Abed 86), Kieron Agbebi, Ellis Brown (Harry Heath 86).

Booked: Louie Procopi 60

Ramsgate: Tom Hadler (Henry Newcombe 90), Lee Martin, Roarie Deacon (Olumide Oluwatimilehin 80), Jay Leader, Joe Ellul (Aaron Barnes 54), Tom Clifford, Alfie Paxman (Lewis Gard 86), Billy Munday, Joe Taylor, Tijan Jadama, Benedict Bioletti (Joshua Ajayi 74).

Goals: Tijan Jadama 3, Jay Leader 49, Alfie Paxman 79, Joe Taylor 89

Booked: Alfie Paxman 56, Roarie Deacon 66

Attendance: 1,226
Referee: Mr Rhys Jeffery
Assistants: Mr Nicholas Monkman and Mr Nicholas Bone