I feel my team are still finding their feet, says Ramsgate boss Tim Dixon

RAMSGATE boss Tim Dixon says results have been a mixed bag so far this season because his players have taken too long to settle down.




The Rams were knocked out of the Ryman League Cup by Wealdstone on Monday night, going down to a 3-2 defeat at Grosvenor Vale.

An impressive performance in between the sticks by Danny Twyman kept Wealdstone at bay on several occasions, but the Stones deserved their 2-0 lead at the break when Polish striker Jacek Magzdinski and his attack partner Shabazz Baidoo scored.

But Ramsgate pulled a goal back with fifteen minutes remaining when Ben Laslett headed home his first goal of the season at the far post following Macauley Murray’s corner.

But Wealdstone ended any Ramsgate fight-back when former Queen’s Park Rangers striker Baidoo scored his second on the night, before substitute Ian Pulman scored Ramsgate’s second at the death.

Dixon said he will take the positives out of the game, rather than the negatives and prepares for a home game against Tooting & Mitcham United on Saturday.

The Terrors are rooted to the foot of the Ryman League Division One South table after picking up only two wins from their nine games.

Ramsgate, meanwhile, lie in thirteenth-place, with three wins, three draws and three defeats from nine league outings.

“What I’m expecting is a tough game, because the manager’s gone, they’ve got a new manager in and they’ve won their first game with the new manager, so it’s a normal response when a new guy comes in and takes the reigns so we’ll be approaching the game as if it was a top-of-the-table clash,” said Dixon.

Dixon then takes his side to Ryman League Division One North side Soham Town Rangers in the FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Qualifying Round on 27 October.

“They’re quite a good attacking side,” said Dixon. “I’ve been to see them as well so I know a little bit about them.

“It’s a Cup game. It’s a bit like Monday night, anything can happen.  You saw (at Wealdstone) they’ve had loads of chances, they should’ve buried us really, but you stay in it and that’s a Cup game all over.

“It will be no different at Soham. Tough game, a long way to go, but it will be a good day out for us hopefully and come back with the win.

“Of course, there’s prize money. It’s important for club’s like us to keep getting the prize money in. I think we deserve it. We’ll have a good performance and we’ll approach it in the right way.”

Reflecting on his side’s league form, Dixon said: “It’s a bit of a mixed bag really. I think some of those games though we’ve conceded in the 87^th minute against Whitstable to lose 2-1. We conceded in the 94^th minute against Folkestone for them to get a draw. We’ve had one stuck in the sand at Burgess Hill with the last kick of the game, so if you look at the points we’ve not quite got there’s probably five or six points there.

“It’s quite a tight league as well.  I think there’s only five points from fourth-place to third from bottom so there’s plenty of time to go yet.

“I feel my team are still finding their feet.  We’re still learning. We’ve got a couple of new faces. It’s taking a little bit of time to gel, a lot longer than I wanted but I think that we’re getting there.”

Visit Ramsgate’s website: www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk  

Ramsgate  v  Tooting & Mitcham United
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 20^th October 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN