Ramsgate 1-1 Worthing - We've got every chance of getting in the play-offs if we keep playing the way we are playing, says Ramsgate joint-boss Jim Ward

Ramsgate 1 – 1 Worthing
Location	Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN
Kickoff	05/12/2015 15:00

RAMSGATE  1-1  WORTHING
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 5^th December 2015
Stephen McCartney reports from Southwood Stadium

RAMSGATE joint-manager Jim Ward says his side have got every chance of staying in the play-off places at the end of the season.

The Rams remain in third-place in the Ryman League Division One South table, on 46 points from 26 games after this stalemate at home to uninspiring Worthing, who remain in second-place, on 48 points from 24 league outings.

Ramsgate edged a poor first half and Joe Taylor’s goal-line scrambled opener on the half-hour mark summed up the football on show for the 207 supporters that braved a chilly and windy day at Southwood Stadium.

Ramsgate would have leapfrogged over the Rebels had they won today, but Worthing grabbed a late equaliser through substitute Lloyd Dawes’ beautiful curler into the top far corner.

“I think we’re desperately unlucky not to come away with three points,” Ward said sitting behind his desk inside the warmth of his office.

“My keeper’s made a couple of good saves but we’ve had countless amount of chances.  Ok, we should’ve taken the chances.

“Taylor’s got the one goal in the first half but the second half I felt it was certainly 60-40 in our favour.

“The boys have done everything asked of them, we had a game plan.

“They’re not second in the league for no reason. They break well, they play not so much good football but they’ve got a plan of long balls down the channels all the time.

“Yes, pleased with the lads today. I thought it’s one of the best games we’ve played and we’ve been on this great run (of six games unbeaten). It’s such a shame we haven’t held on to the three points.”

Ramsgate are now eight points behind leaders Folkestone Invicta, who won 2-0 at Tooting & Mitcham United today.

“It’s still early doors. At least Worthing never got three points and got away from us, so you must get what you can from the teams around you and beat all the teams down the bottom. That’s what the plan was.”

The Rams kept the same team that claimed their thirteenth league win of the season, a 2-0 home win over Walton Casuals on Wednesday night, but they lost right-back Tom Loynes through a shin injury inside eighteen minutes.

Ward revealed: “It was against Walton Casuals on Wednesday night. He got a stud mark down his shin.

“He’s done the warm up and all that. He felt he was going to be ok, but after 10 minutes it was evident he wasn’t so we just took him off.

“It was a big loss for us, he’s great at attacking, having said that Jack Paxman came on and done well, hasn’t he?”

Worthing’s joint-manager Gary Elphick went close to opening the scoring after only 58 seconds.

Set-piece specialist Brannon O’Neill swung in a corner from the left and the central defender’s header was cleared off the line after goalkeeper Luke Watkins failed to get power on his punch.

But Watkins smothered the ball at Ben Pope’s feet seconds later after the Worthing striker was played in by Matt Axell.

Ramsgate’s first opening arrived with only 103 seconds on the clock.

Left-back Jake MacKenzie collected the ball at his feet in the final third and he cut the ball back for central midfielder Luke Girt to slice his first time shot past the right-hand post from 15-yards.

“I thought MacKenzie got himself in a couple of great positions in the first half and never pulled the trigger or tried to play his mate Girty in,” said Ward.

Worthing’s central midfielder Axell then pumped a long ball over the top of Loynes’ head but Will Hendon swept his shot over the crossbar from 20-yards.

Ramsgate striker Ian Pulman swept a near perfect diagonal pass from the right hand side of the penalty area towards the far post but Worthing keeper Rikki Banks grabbed hold of the ball before MacKenzie could get there as he ghosted in unmarked.

Ramsgate called Banks into making a save with his left arm after fourteen minutes.

Girt and Taylor linked up well in midfield before Pulman was released down the left.  The 13-goal striker cut into the penalty area and reached the by-line but the angle was too tight and his low shot was blocked by the keeper at his near post.

“There was plenty of that going on weren’t there,” said Ward.

“Plenty of good inter-linking play between the midfield, our full-backs both got on.”

Worthing right-back Steve Metcalf drove in a first time cross towards the far post and O’Neill took the ball in his stride but smacked his volley sailing harmlessly wide of the target.

But Worthing created a great chance to open the scoring with 21 minutes on the clock.

Pope, who was mainly isolated up front on his own, was played in on goal and Watkins rushed off his line to make a fine block.

“It’s what he does, Watkins,” came the Ramsgate manager’s response to the save.

“If there’s a better goalkeeper in this division, I’ll be surprised. He’s kept us in games and all that plenty of time this season.

“I’ve got a lot of good things to say about Luke Watkins.”

Ramsgate broke the stalemate through an ugly goal, with 29 minutes and 3 seconds on the clock.

Midfield general Nick Treadwell was sent flying to the ground by O’Neill’s challenge about 30-yards from goal on the right hand side.

Pulman floated in a right-footed free-kick towards the penalty spot where Joe Kane’s diving header clipped the far post and Taylor stabbed the ball over the line from inches to score his 17^th goal of the season.

“Inches, that will do, I don’t care,” said Ward about Taylor scoring from on the goal-line.

“I’ll say that was goal of the season that son! I don’t care how it goes in!

“It was a great header from Joe Kane. We don’t score enough goals from set-pieces. We’ve got some good lads who want to attack the ball and for some reason we just don’t score enough goals off corner kicks or free-kicks but we got one, so we’ll take it.”

Ward said of Taylor’s strike-rate, “He needed a goal in open play, which he got today. It’s the first one he’s had for about five games. He’s scored a couple of penalties recently but if he plays the way he plays today, that will do me all season.  I thought him and Puly worked their socks off.”

Ramsgate wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 when Pulman swept the ball out to MacKenzie, who rode a sliding challenge from Worthing skipper Metcalf, cut the ball on to his right foot before drilling his right-footed shot high over the bar from 15-yards.

Ramsgate skipper Kane then played the ball out of defence for Pulman to latch on to.  He was first stopped in his tracks by Metcalf’s tackle but the striker’s right-footed drive screamed just over the top of the crossbar as Banks rose his left-hand in an attempt to palm the ball over the bar.

A scrappy first half, one that Ramsgate shaded and deserved their lead going into a quiet home dressing room.

Ward said: “We dominated the first half. I thought we were well on top in the first half and to be fair it was a quiet changing room.  We didn’t have much to say because all we wanted was more of the same and motivation side of it is difficult when it’s like that so there wasn’t a lot to say.

“We done a couple of tactical things. We knew exactly what they were going to do. We know what they’d do on the break and all that. I thought we coped with it quite well. We still had more chances than them in the second half.”

Ramsgate had the first chance of the second half after only 52 seconds.

Taylor whipped in a cross from the right towards the far post and Kane Rowland drilled his right-footed shot just past the foot of the near post.

Worthing produced a good move along the deck in the 48^th minute.

Pope released Mike Waller down the left flank and he cut the ball back to Harvey Sparks, who played the ball to Will Hendon and Waller played the ball to back to Hendon, who cut in and his shot sailed into Watkins’ hands for a comfortable catch at his far post.

The game then turned into an uninspiring midfield battle between two sides that did not show why they are both challenging Folkestone Invicta for the league title.

Ramsgate created another chance to kill Worthing off in the 63^rd minute when Taylor hooked the ball in towards the far post and Rowland planted his towering header over the crossbar from eight-yards.

Worthing left-back Sparks reached the by-line and cut the ball back to Waller, but Ramsgate got bodies back inside the box to block a couple of his shots.

Worthing’s best chance of the second half came with 20 minutes left.

O’Neill swung in a teasing free-kick across goal from the right-hand side, which forced Watkins to dive to his right to palm away, before an offside flag had been raised.

“Luke done his job. The wind is a bit difficult for keeper’s obviously but he just dealt with it,” added Ward.

“The goalkeeper’s couldn’t kick the ball to the half-way line against the wind and we tried to work on that. 

“Really both goals were balls in the box but the wind didn’t interfere with it much. There was still some good stuff played.”

A couple minutes later Ramsgate went close to increasing their lead.

Girt whipped in a cross from the right, Pulman, with his back to goal, laid the ball back to Taylor, who hit his left-footed drive sailing just over the bar.

Ramsgate substitute right-back Jack Paxman got back on his line after Watkins was beaten with a low angled drive from the right hand side.

Ramsgate’s best chance to seal the victory came from their third of five corners in the 77^th minute.

Pulman’s out-swinging corner from the right was hit on the volley by Oliver Gray on the edge of the box, which screamed straight into Banks’ midriff.

Ward said: “He got hold of it well. It was unlucky. If it goes anywhere else, it’s a goal. He’s hit it in the goalkeeper’s midriff from the edge of the box.”

Girt over-hit his cross from the right which was retrieved by Pulman and then Treadwell, who played the ball inside for Pulman, who drilled his shot just past the foot of the near post from 30-yards.

Worthing called Watkins into making a save following their fourth and final corner of the game.

O’Neill’s delivery from the left was headed out to an unmarked Hendon, who drilled his 35-yard shot straight down the throat of the Ramsgate keeper.

But as the vocal home fans had thought their side had claimed the victory that they deserved, Worthing snatched an equaliser with 41:39 on the clock.

Waller was released down the left and reached the by-line before cutting the ball back and Watkins nipped in at Pope’s feet at the near post to make a block.

The ball came out to Dawes, who curled a beautiful right-footed shot over a man on the line to find the top far corner of the net.

“That was a good goal they scored,” admitted Ward.

“We were disappointed in the way that we gave it away but you know it’s one of them. 

“They’re not second in the league for no reason. They scored a few goals as well (this being Worthing’s 53^rd league goal scored in 24 games).

“The guy took it well, picked his spot and put it there.

“Could we clear our lines better? Perhaps we could have.

“But we had enough chances to win the game, never mind what their goal was.

“I felt we defended as we have been recently and we’ve defended very well.”

Worthing received a slice of luck when Pulman swung in a deep corner from the left, which sailed over the flapping Banks and bounced down off the crossbar as the ball looked like it was going to dip in at the far post.

“It’s hit the bar and it’s come out again and it’s come out to nobody,” agonised Ward.

“That’s what we’ve worked on. When we had the wind we were shooting in the corners so it went underneath the bar. Six inches lower it’s a goal!”

Ward praised the home fans in Ramsgate’s fifth highest crowd of the season.

“I was in the paper during the week and I asked for a bigger crowd. We’ve been averaging about 170 and it’s one of those bad Saturday’s before Christmas where everybody wants to go shopping and all that, so I’m pleased with that crowd, the chairman will be happy.”

Ramsgate face another coastal battle next Saturday when they travel to Hastings United, underachieving in fourteenth-place on 33 points from 18 games, although they have played the fewest games in the entire division and are nine points adrift of fifth-placed Herne Bay.

Ramsgate then host Herne Bay (19 December), travel to Sittingbourne (28 December) and welcome Hythe Town to Southwood Stadium on 2 January.

“We just keep going. We’ve got a massive game next Saturday, we’re away to Hastings,” said Ward.

“If we get something down there again, it’s good.  They’ll be in the play-off Hastings. I don’t know so much about Worthing but I think Hastings will be in the play-offs.”

When asked whether Ramsgate can remain in the play-offs during their last 20 games, Ward replied: “Every chance, every chance, if we keep playing the way we are playing. I expect to be there or there abouts.

“We’ve got four games there, if we can get 10 points out of them four games I’ll be delighted, I’ll be a very, very happy manager.

“You try to average two points a game. There’s not many teams in the division that have averaged two points a game.

“That’s what we’re looking for. If we can take eight to 10 points, I’ll take that now and see what happens.”

Ramsgate: Luke Watkins, Jake MacKenzie, Kane Rowland, Joe Kane, Luke Wheatley, Luke Girt, Tom Loynes (Jack Paxman 18), Oliver Gray, Ian Pulman, Joe Taylor, Nick Treadwell.
Subs: Aaron Quain, Kane Smith, Daniel Vinson, Oliver Brown.

Goal: Joe Taylor 30

Booked: Joe Kane 43, Oliver Gray 61

Worthing: Rikki Banks, Steve Metcalf (Lloyd Dawes 63), Harvey Sparks, Matt Axell (Jordan Clarke 46), Gary Elphick, Corey Heath, Will Hendon, Brannon O’Neill, Ben Pope, Ryan Richefond, Mike Waller (Callum Overton 90).
Subs: Ryan Quirke, Jack Fagan

Goal: Lloyd Dawes 87

Booked: Brannon O’Neill 77, Mike Waller 79

Attendance: 207
Referee: Mr Matthew Goldsmith (Hastings, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Glen Childs (Ashford) & Mr Stuart Marriott (Deal)