I think the lads' confidence has dropped a little bit, admits Whitstable Town boss Nicky Southall

WHITSTABLE TOWN player-manager Nicky Southall says his side must start collecting points to move away from the relegation zone.



The Oystermen are fourth-from bottom in the Ryman League Division One South table, with 21 points from 22 games – only six points clear of Three Bridges, who occupy the sole relegation place.

The former Gillingham midfielder targets maximum points in their next two home games – against Ramsgate on Saturday and Merstham next Tuesday.

Tim Dixon’s Ramsgate side, meanwhile, lie in 12th-place in the table, with 30 points from 22 games, seven points adrift of fifth-placed Hythe Town, who have failed in their bid to bring striker Shaun Welford in from Maidstone United.

Merstham are managed by former Bromley manager Hayden Bird and the Surrey outfit lie in fifteenth-place, with 27 points from 21 games.

But Southall is looking forward to a Kent derby against the Rams.

“We’re expecting a blood and guts Kent derby,” he said.

“We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us. I’m good friends with Timmy and his backroom staff, Darren Beale, so it’s going to be a good game.

“It’s probably one of the games we’re after following the performance we put in at the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a derby where players have got to be up for it or you’ll come unstuck.”

With a number of players having played for both clubs, Southall added: “Quite a few players of both teams have been at both clubs – whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing who knows.  For me, first and foremost it’s going to be a tough game. I know Timmy will have them up for it.

“It’s going to be a tough game. They’ll be up for it. They got beat at Worthing in midweek and we’ve come on the back of a disappointing second half performance against Eastbourne.

“As the home team we have to take the game to Ramsgate and try and get the three points.”

Southall admitted his side must do better.

When asked how things are progressing at The Belmont, he replied, “I would say it’s been probably six out of ten so far.

“We’ve flattered to deceive in games. We’ve started off well, especially in the first half and the second half for some reason we haven’t come out of the dressing rooms so that’s something I’ve got to address and try and get to the players a little bit more, get them up for it.”

“I don’t think it’s a fitness issue. I think it’s more of a confidence issue.

“We played so well at Folkestone on New Year’s Day. We were 1-0 up and we should have went in three or four nil up at half-time. We missed some gilt edged chances in the first half and we came out a bit edgy.

“We ended up losing the game late on and I think the lads’ confidence has just dropped a little bit.

“It’s something that we need to adjust quickly. We’ve got two great games coming up, Ramsgate and Merstham.  We’ve identified to get maximum points for us to springboard and push on for the rest of the season.

Southall has used his extensive contacts at Priestfield Stadium to give central defender, Ollie Lee, 18, a second chance.

“He’s just been released from Gillingham. He was a second year scholar.  A centre half, he’s brave, he’s got a lot to offer and a lot to prove as well.  He wants to prove people wrong that he should have got a contract at Gillingham.

“When you have determined players like that who want to prove people wrong hopefully it will be good for Whitstable Town.”

It will be a blow for a teenager who harboured dreams of making it as a professional footballer.

But a lot of former Gillingham players have done well in non-league football here in Kent.

Southall explained: “League clubs have got to make decisions on young kids. It can go either way at a very young age.  A lot of kids’ slip by the wayside and miss the boat, but it’s a decision you’ve got to make as a manager, which (Gillingham first team manager) Martin Allen has gone.

“A lot of these kids’ won’t develop until their 19, 20, 21, when they’ve had a couple of years in men’s football and they’ve grown up a little bit and got stronger.

“Hopefully he can go back in a few years’ time. He’s eighteen so he’s got bags of energy, he’s aggressive, he’s brave and that’s what I want and we need to have that mentality to keep the ball out of our net sometimes.”

Southall admits he is looking over his shoulder and wants to keep away from basement side Three Bridges, who came up from the Sussex County League last season.

“We’ve had a little bit of a break of six points but that can easily change,” said Southall.

“I’ve been in the game long enough to know we’ve got to extend that points gap between us and the bottom teams so I’ve identified these next two games where we need to take some points and my team that goes out there on Saturday will definitely be fighting for those points.

“We need to get out of the traps on Saturday and really get stuck into Ramsgate and take the game to them.”

Visit Whitstable Town’s website: www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk

Whitstable Town  v  Ramsgate
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 12^th January 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Belmont, Belmont Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1QP