Ramsgate skipper Ben Laslett hails family team spirit

Thursday 19th August 2010

RAMSGATE skipper Ben Laslett says he is pleased with the team spirit within the camp ahead of the club’s opening game at Walton & Hersham on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Rams completed their pre-season programme with an impressive 4-0 destruction of Ryman League Division One North side Tilbury last weekend and the new skipper admitted to www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk that he is pleased with the players that manager Jim Ward has brought to Southwood Stadium.

“I’m extremely proud of all the lads for their punctuality, effort and attendance at training sessions during pre-season,” said Laslett.

“We have suffered together through physical pain as a team. All of this suffering has brought the team very close together.

“I want us to become and think we are becoming like a family. I think the team spirit is very strong. New additions that have come into the squad have said that they loved the atmosphere and I think that is testament to the whole positive environment at the club at the moment.

“The training sessions have helped us all to develop our physical fitness (speed, endurance, balance etc) levels. So long as we remain ‘patient’, when games start to open up in second halves I’m confident we will reap the rewards (through goals) for our sound fitness levels.

He added: “It has also been refreshing to see players accepting to play in their un-preferred positions for the sake of the team. When players act in this way I think they strengthen the relationship/connection between themselves and the club. The club becomes more meaningful to them which is great.

“I think we have a great blend of experience and youth. For me what is important is that the experienced players are all good people. We have no so-called ‘big time Charlie’s’. I think these types of characters attempt to and can abuse the power they have which can destroy team spirit. In my playing career I’ve come across many people like this and witnessed the negative impact it has on the team spirit.”

Ramsgate’s first home game of the new season is against Chipstead on Tuesday 24 August.

Quotes courtesy of www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk

Walton & Hersham v Ramsgate

Ryman League Division One South

Saturday 21st August 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Stompond Lane, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 1HF