Three Bridges 0-0 Ramsgate - I don't want the season to finish on a whimper, says Justin Luchford

THREE BRIDGES  0-0  RAMSGATE
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 22^nd March 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Jubilee Field

NEWLY-APPOINTED Ramsgate boss Justin Luchford says he doesn’t want the season to finish on a whimper after being held to a goal-less draw away to struggling Three Bridges in his first game in charge.

Three Bridges went into this game sitting in the bottom five in the Ryman League Division One South table with an identical home and away record of five wins, three draws and nine defeats so it was statistically inevitable that Ramsgate’s visit to Jubilee Field would end in a goalless stalemate.

Ramsgate slipped a place to eleventh-place in the table with 53 points from 39 games and Luchford said afterwards that he wants his new side to pick up as many points from their last seven games of the season.

Luchford made four changes to the side that defeated Crawley Down Gatwick 4-2 at Southwood Stadium last weekend, which proved to be the sixth and final game in charge for caretaker-manager Dean Hill, a defender who has been ruled out through a knee injury.

“Decent point to be honest. I thought it was a real tough scrap,” said Luchford, 37, afterwards.

“I think the conditions out there were tough. There was a lot of wind out there, especially that first half in where we were backs against the wall, although I thought we were better in the first half.

“But overall I thought we did ok.   There’s a lot of things to work on. There’s a couple if new players in there.

“We defended very, very well at times and I think it would have been unfair if either side to get the three points today.  I think it was a fair result so yes, overall pleased.”

Three Bridges created their first opening after only 90 seconds when striker Tony Garrod, who endured a frustrating afternoon before being substituted, was denied a passage into the penalty area and he swept the ball out wide to Matt Daniel, whose left-footed shot from 20-yards deflected off Ollie Gray and Ramsgate keeper Nick Shaw made a comfortable save.

However, the game lacked quality and Three Bridges awarded their man-of-the-match award to central defender Nigel Brake, whereas the returning Laurence Ball was immense at the heart of Ramsgate’s defence on his third debut.

“Outstanding. He was probably the best player on the pitch in my eyes,” Luchford said of Ball, 29, who has only just received international clearance after playing for Paris-based club Boulogne-Billancourt.

“He lead by example. He didn’t get involved. He did his job superbly and he helped out the left-back (Greg Skinner) whose seventeen-years-old. 

“It’s his first game (back) today and I thought Bally was immense.”

Ramsgate fashioned their first opening in the 20^th minute when striker Tom Chapman cut in from the left but his right-footed shot from a tight angle was spilt by Three Bridges’ goalkeeper Martin Grant at his near post.

Gray clipped the ball forward, which was headed across the penalty area by Warren Schulz to Chapman, who twisted and turned before stroking a deflected right-footed angled drive past the far post from 12-yards.

Debutant Connor Heffernan, swung in the resulting corner from the left and Gray flicked his header across goal and harmlessly wide of the far post.

Three Bridges should have done better with a chance in the 28^th minute when striker Elliott Romain flicked the ball on for Garrod to bulldoze his way through two central defenders but visiting keeper Nick Shaw grabbed the loose ball from inside his six-yard box.

Romain cut the ball back to left-back Charlie Leach, who played the ball inside to Brake, who’s floated cross was headed away and Romain’s attempted right-footed curler sailed harmlessly around the far post from 20-yards.

Ramsgate twice went close, however, to breaking the stalemate with two chances within 67 seconds.

Heffernan played the ball forward to Chapman, who curled in a cross-come-shot which sailed around Grant and was heading in at the far post but Leach got to the airborne ball first before James Sherman could pounce first.

Chapman was then played in behind the Three Bridges’ defence and Grant made a fine save low to his left to prevent the Ramsgate striker scoring his tenth-goal of the season with the best chance of the game.

Luchford said:  “We could have been two up at half-time. We weren’t and you’ve got to dig in games like that where it’s scrappy and you make a mistake or you don’t concentrate.  They had a lot of corners today and if you do that sometimes you concede goals.

“I wanted a clean sheet today. That was my aim and we got it.”

Three Bridges enjoyed plenty of possession during the first half but they had no quality in the final third.

However, good link up play down the right involving Romain and right-back Sampson Djimah resulted in right-sided midfielder Abu Touray rolling the ball into Shaw’s gloves.

Luchford revealed that he hasn’t had much preparation time with his new team.

“I’ve had none in fact because Dean (Hill) took the session on Tuesday and I was around,” said the new Rams boss.

“I haven’t had time. We just got here at one o’clock today and went through (a few things).  It was information overload for them sometimes so we’ll work hard on Tuesday night and we’ll go again.”

Ramsgate should have done better with a decent opportunity inside the opening four minutes of the second half.

Sherman poked the ball out to the left to find Heffernan in space and his attempted right-footed curler sailed around the far post and hit the bonnet of a black car parked in the car park behind the goal.

A long clearance from Shaw was helped on by advanced left-back Greg Skinner and after Sherman cut the ball back to Heffernan, his cross was headed away and Warren Schulz swept his right-footed shot into Grant’s gloves from 25-yards after 53 minutes.

Ramsgate produced a good move when Skinner played the ball into Sherman, whose reverse pass played Chapman in behind the Three Bridges defence and his cross was cleared only as far as Sherman, who curled his right-footed shot around the far post from sixteen-yards.

Chapman played the remainder of the game with his head bandaged following a bloody clash of heads with Brake.

Luchford said: “Nasty! He was fine but he’s got a little chunk out of his head and the blood was coming out for quite a while.  To be honest I thought he was coming off but he wanted to stay on.  Shows character doesn’t it?”

Whilst Chapman was off the pitch receiving treatment to his wounds, Three Bridges created their best chance of the game after 63 minutes.

Sampson played the ball into Charlie Cooke, who played the ball inside to an unmarked Romain, who hit a bobbling right-footed shot from 20-yards, which bounced off the foot of the left-hand post and Touray’s follow-up shot from ten-yards was blocked by Shaw’s legs.

“Do you know what, I thought Nick done really well today,” said Luchford.

“He made a couple of good saves today. There was that one and one at the end when he went through.

“I watched the game last week and he gave a penalty area after 70 seconds.

“I just said to him today it was important to get a clean sheet.  Make sure you stay concentrated and he stayed concentrated for 95 minutes and he deserved that clean sheet.”

Hefferman’s dead-ball deliveries for most of the game failed to beat the first defender so in the 71^st minute he decided to cut a corner back to Ben Laslett, who took a touch before lashing his left-footed shot over the bar from the corner of the penalty area.

Luchford explained why he gave 20-goal striker, Ian Pulman, a ten-minute cameo role.

“He probably could have started Puly to be honest but we took the decision not to because of his mouth,” said Luchford.

“He’s got two teeth out yesterday and I just thought when you’re not 100% it’s not really fair to rely on him to go out there to do a job for us.

“I though the other two went up front, Tom (Chapman) and Jim (Sherman) worked hard today and they did alright.”

However, both sides could have snatched victory inside stoppage time at the end of a boring encounter.

Three Bridges hit Ramsgate on the break where substitute Mitchell Casselman released Romain down the left, who cut inside past Gray and was to be thwarted by the advancing Shaw, who used his legs to make a smart save.

Romain, who like Garrod has scored thirteen goals this season, hit a deflected right-footed angled drive past the far post.

Three Bridges’ skipper Lee Carney swung in the resulting corner from the left, but Romain powered his free header wide of the left-hand post from fifteen-yards.

Ramsgate defender Ollie Schulz signed off his career with the club by almost scoring with the last kick of the game.

Heffernan whipped in his sixth and best corner of the game from the right and Schulz – who commutes from Dublin to play - powered his header agonisingly against the crossbar from 12-yards.

Luchford admitted: “I think it would have been a little bit unfair on Three Bridges but Connor’s got one of his corners right, which make a change! Not many of the corners were good today, but he got his corner right and Ollie’s hit the bar. It’s just one of those things.”

Luchford paid tribute to the 28-year-old defender and said: “He’s one of the best centre halves around. If he ever comes back to the UK I’m sure he’ll come back to sign for us and we’ll reap the rewards of that.

Reflecting on his first game in charge of the club, Luchford added: “Plenty to work on.  I can’t fault their commitment, can’t fault their desire and work-rate.  If they’re going to do that for me every week then we’re half-way there.

“We’re playing on better pitches. Unfortunately the pitch is a little bit bobbly today so it was hard to bring the ball down and play.  We’ve got a few footballers that we probably didn’t get enough on the ball today but it will come.”

The Rams have seven more games to play and lost tenth-place to Tooting & Mitcham United today, who are two points more than Luchford’s side.

The Rams boss said: “I want to pick up as many points as possible. I want to be in that top ten. That’s got to be the aim, finish in the top ten and pick up points.

“I want to see us improve defensively over the next seven games so we can take that into the summer.  I don’t want to finish the season on a whimper.

“At least it’s new. They’ve got a chance to impress.  We might try to bring in one or two this week if we can to strengthen us up a little bit but if not it’s not the end of the world.

“The overall thing is we want to get as many points as possible.”

When asked what the Southwood Stadium faithful can expect for the visit of bottom side Eastbourne Town next Saturday, Luchford said: “If they show the commitment they showed today, they’ll see a side going out there fully committed to go and get a result. There’s no two ways about that!”

Tony Reid’s side won only their fifth league win of the season when they stunned fifth-placed Hastings United with a 3-2 win at The Saffrons today.

Luchford warned: “It won’t be easy.  I’ve seen Eastbourne a few times this season and although they’re bottom of the league they’re really hard to break down and they’ve got a lad up front who just scores goals in Billy Medlock.

“They’re fighting.   They probably won’t get out of it now unfortunately.  They’ll be hard to break down but we’ll be ready for it and look forward to it.

“These (Three Bridges) are the same. They’re fighting for their lives and it’s hard.

“If you have these seven games in the middle of the season you fancy yourselves to pick up points, especially with the side we’ve got.  At the end of the day, we’re Ramsgate Football Club and we’re a big club so we expect to get results but they’re all tough at the moment, they’re all tough.”

Luchford spent the entire game barking out instructions to his team and was pleased to be back in the dug out after a scouting role for Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley.

“It’s bizarre scouting for a year. It’s been hard. I must admit.  I’m pleased to be back.  I’ve had a lot of support this week from a lot of managers and people in the game have texted me which has been really nice. It’s nice to be back. I love it.  It’s absolutely brilliant.”

When asked whether he will delve into the transfer market before the transfer window shuts on 31 March, Luchford said: “Players will probably go, yes. Players will probably come in.  There won’t be too much I don’t think between now and the end of the season.  I’ve only got a week to do it anyway.  There won’t be too much. I don’t need to.  Tim (Dixon) had a good side here so I’m taking that side forward and may add one or two if I can.”

Three Bridges:  Martin Grant, Sampson Djimah, Nigel Brake, Owen Roberts, Charlie Leach, Abu Touray, Charlie Cooke (Mitchell Casselman 89), Lee Carney, Elliott Romain, Tony Garrod (Marlon Maxwell 76), Matt Daniel.
Sub: Williams Peauroux

Booked: Owen Roberts 9

Ramsgate: Nick Shaw, Ollie Gray, Greg Skinner, Laurence Ball, Ollie Schulz, Ben Laslett, Connor Heffernan, Warren Schulz (Ian Pulman 80), James Sherman, Tom Chapman, Aaron Beech.
Subs: Kane Rowland, Nick Treadwell, Luke Wheatley, Daren Hawkes

Booked: Ollie Schulz 18, James Sherman 57, Ollie Gray 90

Attendance: 92
Referee: Mr Matthew Lee (Chichester, West Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Tim Hatt (Redhill, Surrey) & Mr James Harding (Burgess Hill, West Sussex)