Ramsgate 1-0 Staines Town. Ward hails "crowd pleaser" Edusei - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

RAMSGATE 1-0 STAINES TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 23^rd December 2006
Stephen McCartney reports from Southwood Stadium

Ramsgate warmed up for the eagerly awaited Battle of Thanet on Boxing Day (1pm), with a hard fought win over Staines Town at fortress Southwood Stadium today.

Michael Yianni’s seventh goal of the season, seven minutes before the break, settled the game as Ramsgate go into the home showdown with their Thanet rivals sitting in fifth place in the Ryman Premier League table.

Margate, who had to settle for a point in a dour 1-1 draw at Ashford Town (Middlesex) today, with prolific hit-man Danny Hockton netting his 25^th goal of the season from the penalty spot, go into the Southwood showdown in second place in the table but just two points separating the rivals.

Ramsgate boss Jim Ward handed Akwasi Edusei his debut and the 20-year-old former Gillingham and Welling United striker impressed down the left-flank, giving Swans’ right-back Jon McDonald a torrid time for the 67 minutes they were both on the pitch.

“Very good. What a debut,” beamed Ward, speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  about the Lewisham based debutant after another win at their fortress, where only Tonbridge Angels have picked up away victories in league action.

“He’s certainly a crowd pleaser,” he added. “He’s a centre forward the boy, but Mo (Takaloo) again done allright.

“I had to take (Akwasi) off because the guy studded him, the right-back, who I thought got away with it. He could have been sent off for that challenge.

“Akwasi is a crowd pleaser. When he walked round afterwards the crowd all stood up and cheered him. When he walked to the changing room they all showed their appreciation.”

Another player to impress was Ali Chaaban, the talented Staines Town striker, whose netted 12 goals so far this season.

Ward added: “They’ve got some good players haven’t they? It’s not often I walk away from a game (and say) I’ll sign a few of them.

“They certainly had three that caught my eye. Their number ten, Ali Chaaban, was the best player that’s played against us.”

And it was Chabaan’s trickery down the left hand side that created a good chance for his team-mate, Andre Scarlett, but he drilled his shot past the near post.

Ramsgate went close from Edusei’s third and fourth corners of the game.

Ollie Schulz, lurking at the far post, drove a deflected wide and Shaun Welford glanced a header past the upright after Edusei cut another corner back to Yianni for the midfielder to chip the ball into the box.

Ramsgate called visiting goalkeeper James Courtnage into action after 19 minutes, turning Mo Takaloo’s stroked shot from 15-yards around his near post.

Warren Schulz then rolled the ball to Yianni, whose right-footed drive from 25-yards, bounced off the turf, but flashed just past the far post, past a diving goalkeeper.

But the goalkeeper was at fault for the only goal of the game after 38 minutes, when his clearance from a back-pass went into touch.

Welford launched one of his trademark long throws into the penalty area and the ball fell nicely to Yianni at the far post, who slammed the ball into the net.

But Courtnage was at the right place two minutes later when Warren Schulz fired a shot straight into the goalkeeper’s hands following a counter attack.

Chaaban twisted and turned the Rams defence on the stoke of half-time but his shot went straight into Paul Wilkerson’s grateful arms.

Wilkerson made another comfortable save early in the second half from Dave Sargeant’s left-footed 20-yard free-kick on the right hand side of the penalty area.

Wilkerson was tested after 56 minutes when he kicked away Chaaban’s shot on goal but Rams’ full-back Dean Hill was desperately unlucky not to score his fourth goal of the season.

Hill made a 40-yard mazy run down the left hand side and was denied by a fine parry from Courtnage.

But Yianni failed to keep his composure and slammed the follow up past the near post from eight-yards.

Welford latched onto Yianni’s defensive splitting pass in the 67^th minute but agonisingly slipped the ball past the right post from 18-yards.

Staines, who won 4-2 at Hartsdown Park at the end of last month, created three good chances late on to try to clinch a point.

Their best chance came when Wilkerson made a superb save when he palmed Howard Newton’s powerful header over his crossbar to make sure Ramsgate go into their next game full of confidence.

“I thought we deserved to win,” said Ward. “In the second half we could have scored another four goals. They maybe should have scored one.

“But the boys are really, really delighted they’ve kept a clean sheet. This is what we’ve been working on. I’m pleased for the goalkeeper and the defenders who have kept a clean sheet. They don’t want to win 3-2, they want to win 1-0.”