Kentish Football 
Ramsgate 1-3 Bromley - Ward slams Ref over costly blunders
Friday 06th April 2007
RAMSGATE 1-3 BROMLEY
Ryman Premier League
Good Friday, 6th April 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Southwood Stadium
Referee Mr Steve Briffit made a swift getaway after assisting Bromley's smash and grab raid at Southwood Stadium today.
Ramsgate boss Jim Ward described Bromley goalkeeper Andy Walker’s challenge on Simon Pettit as an “assault”.
Pettit had to be withdrawn after treatment behind the by-line following the 80th minute challenge.
And with four minutes remaining, Bromley skipper Francis Duku, nicknamed “The Fridge” because of his size, got away with pushing Shaun Welford in the back as the Rams striker got behind him inside the penalty box.
“I’m dumfounded! I haven’t found one person that’s backed the referee, and that includes both his linesmen,” Ward told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after this defeat dents his side’s play-off hopes.
“Welford’s gone in the box, the guys got a full hand on his back, pushed him.
“Welford, to his credit tried to stay on his feet – it’s a penalty!
“My players didn’t stop, I’ll give them that. They carried on doing what they had to do. They were screaming at the referee at the same time because it was miles wrong.
“They broke away and scored. Game over then. We’ve got to try and chase it, they’ve got another one late on – it flatters them. It really flatters them.”
Ward was also fuming over Walker’s penalty area challenge on Pettit, on the angle of penalty area and by-line.
“Simon’s got two knee marks on his back,” he revealed. “My goalkeeper got sent off for that against Tonbridge about four or five weeks ago.
“Any other push on the park, it’s not only a free-kick, it’s a booking! Why is it different there? It was blatant - it was assault.”
Ward was forced to make two changes from the side that won 1-0 at promotion challengers Billericay Town last Saturday – a result that put the Thanet side back in the play-off frame.
And the Rams had goalkeeper Paul Wilkerson to thank for preventing Bromley taking the lead inside the opening three minutes.
The goalkeeper tipped Junior Kadi’s low right-footed thirty-yard drive around the post.
His opposite number, Walker, meanwhile, was called into action after ten minutes when he comfortably saved Welford’s left-footed effort from twenty-yards.
And Ramsgate almost opened the scoring within a minute but Walker’s heel blocked Stuart Vahid’s driven shot from eight-yards.
Sam Wood played in Bromley’s leading goalscorer Nic McDonnell and after cutting inside Ollie Schulz, his shot was well wide of the target.
Pettit’s trade-mark long throw gave the hosts another chance after twenty minutes when Stuart Vahid’s flick looped off Wood and over his own crossbar.
Ramsgate defender Ollie Schulz was almost punished for a poor header back towards Wilkerson, which was intercepted by Barry Moore, but the nippy midfielder drove his shot into the goalkeeper’s grateful arms.
And another chance came Bromley’s way on the half-hour mark when former Gillingham and Folkestone Invicta full-back Mark Corneille’s far post cross was stabbed just past the near post by a stretching Simon Osborn.
Wood drove a thirty-yard shot just past the foot of the near post after picking up a poor clearance from Edd Vahid, Rams’ right-back, whose just returned from Bath University.
Wilkerson almost emulated Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson recently, by scoring from inside his own half, when his right-footed free-kick just five yards from the half-way line dropped just over Walker’s crossbar.
Bromley’s best chance to open the scoring came on the stroke of half-time when McDonnell’s left-footed shot from 12-yards rolled agonisingly past the foot of the far post – evading the on-rushing Tony Boot.
Welford latched onto a long ball but skied his shot from eighteen-yards after just fifty seconds into the second half.
But the 27-year-old Northumberland born striker gave the Thanet side the lead after 56 minutes – before Bromley levelled within a minute.
Welford poked a shot towards goal from the right-hand side of the six-yard box and the ball took a deflection of Duku and rolled just inside the foot of the far post, drawing first blood.
But Ramsgate’s joy was short lived as Wood scored his third goal of the season.
The former Cray Wanderers midfielder, playing at left-wing back, cracked a fierce angled drive from eighteen-yards across Wilkerson and the ball screamed into the roof of the net.
Former Dover Athletic striker Welford squandered a couple of chances to hand the initiative back to the Rams.
After getting the better of Bobby Bowry and cutting inside, his right-footed shot rolled harmlessly wide and within a minute, after getting behind the visitors’ defence, he sliced his shot past the near post.
Bromley substitute Gareth McLeary, however, was thwarted by a fine save from Wilkerson after 72 minutes.
Ramsgate’s eighth and final corner, taken by Warren Schulz, was met by his younger brother, Ollie, but his towering header at the far post just cleared the crossbar.
Then, in the 80th and 86th minute, Bromley got away with two penalty box incidents, before grabbing the three points that moves them from fifth to second in the Ryman Premier League table.
McDonnell and Ollie Schulz escaped any punishment for their part in an eighteen-man melee.
And it was McDonnell who broke Ramsgate’s hearts when he rifled the ball into the roof of the net from eight-yards to score his 25th goal of the season following a scramble.
And to add insult to injury, Edd Vahid failed to cut out a long ball and McLeary scored his first goal for the club when he stabbed the ball into the net from four-yards after lifting the ball over the advancing Wilkerson.
And McDonnell almost scored their fourth goal inside stoppage time when his shot flew just over.
Ward, however, admits Monday’s trip across Thanet to play Margate, whose player-manager Robin Trott was in attendance today, is last chance saloon for his side.
“The play’s off’s again, here we go again. Six weeks ago we were out of the play-offs,” he said.
“During the month of March we got ourselves back into the play-off’s, or on the brink of a play-off place.
“Now on paper, we’re out of them again. We’ve only got four games left, we need 12 points out of the four games – who knows?
“I’ve just said to the boys Monday’s a massive game. We play against a club whose trying to do well. It will be a special day for Ramsgate and Margate fans. Let’s hope it’s a good game and a Ramsgate win!”
But Ward “feels let down” by the performance of the match officials today.
“I’m really disappointed,” he said. “You’ve got to watch what you say because you get in trouble but I feel ever so let down – I really feel let down.
“The young lads have run their hearts out today against a vastly superior, in terms of experience, side and really we’ve just been let down by the officials – there’s no two ways about it.
“If we get the penalty, the guy could have been sent off, but I don’t want him sent off. We get the penalty and score, we’ll go two-one up and all off a sudden it’s a different game altogether.”
Ramsgate: Paul Wilkerson, Edd Vahid, Dean Hill, Liam Morris (Akwasi Edusei 89), Ollie Schulz, Simon Pettit (James Gregory 81), Michael Yianni, Warren Schulz, Shaun Welford, Lee Minshull, Stuart Vahid.
Subs: Mark Munday, Dan Tanner, Jurgen Wild.
Goal: Shaun Welford 56
Bromley: Andy Walker, Mark Corneille (Peter Adeneyi 60), Sam Wood, Donal O’Sullivan, Francis Duku, Bobby Bowry, Junior Kadi, Barry Moore, Tony Boot (Gareth McLeary 70), Nic McDonnell, Simon Osborn.
Subs: Gareth Williams, Kirk Watts, Chris Sharpling.
Goals: Sam Wood 57, Nic McDonnell 87, Gareth McLeary 90
Booked: Junior Kadi 53
Attendance: 483
Referee: Mr Steve Briffitt (Croydon, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Neil Baker (Dartford) & Mr Steve Hughes (Welling)
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