Ward has words of comfort for Munday

Sunday 21st March 2010

SYMPATHETIC Ramsgate boss Jim Ward has revealed he has contacted Mark Munday after his friend lost his job at Whitstable Town last night, writes Stephen McCartney.

Ward is taking his side to play Whitstable at Belmont Road on Tuesday night, but Whitstable will be under the caretaker management of long-serving goalkeeping coach Mark Lane, after Munday lost his first managerial job following Whitstable’s 2-0 home defeat to Horsham YMCA.

Lane has ten games to save the club from relegation and are struggling at the foot of the Ryman League Division One South table, having picked up eight wins and two draws in Munday’s 32 games in charge.

“Mark Munday is a very likeable fella,” Ward told www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “He’s played for me over the years. He’s a lovely fella, to be honest.

“I’m very disappointed with Whitstable for not letting him stay until the end of the season, but that’s football.

“I feel sorry for Mark because he’s a top bloke - and Paul Lamb. Both played for me in the past - so has Mark Lane and I wish Laney all the best, obviously not Tuesday night.”

Ward offered some words of comfort for the much-respected Munday, who enjoyed a glittering playing career.

“Keep your chin up, It’s football!” Ward tells his mate. “He’s got a great name in football, played for all the top clubs, with the best FA Cup records as a player. No doubt he’ll brush this off and him and Lamby will get themselves another club.

“Mark’s very passionate and I see him at games and he wants to do well. I rang him at 10 o’clock this morning and had a chat to him. Obviously he’s disappointed but he wants to stay in football and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending him.”

Ward suffered the horror of finishing bottom of the Ryman Premier League table last season.

“From my point of view we knew why we finished bottom last year,” said Ward. “You only have to look at the Dover team that played yesterday, there were four ex-Ramsgate players in there, there’s a couple at Tonbridge and a couple of Hastings.

“We tried to rebuild one way but now we’re nearly all local lads now, no London lads. The furthest away is Rhys Lawson.

“We’ve gone back to the drawing board and we’re going to give the young lads a chance.

“Finances aren’t the same as three or four years ago. I’m not saying we’re doing it on a shoestring. The budget’s decent but there’s no reason to give someone £200 or £150 per week so if you can’t, you have to find local players.”

Ramsgate are now in thirteenth place in the Ryman League Division One South table following their impressive 3-1 win at play-off chasing Godalming Town yesterday.

The Rams have collected 11 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats this season, but their win at Godalming - against all odds - was what pleased Ward.

“Well, it was a funny game, it was,” reflected Ward. “We were right down to the bare bones first of all.

“I had two subs on the bench, one was a centre forward and the other one was a goalkeeper and at one stage it looked like the goalkeeper was going to run at right-back.

“But we patched it up, with so many of the lads failed fitness tests on the day, but having said that, we started the game brightly.

“It was an even game, then they got a goal, a poor goal to give away, but even at half-time we’ve gone in and we said we were still in the game.

“Second half, they never got our of their own half. We deserved to win the game quite comfortably really. It took a wonder strike to do it mind, Gary Lockyer in about the 85th minute. He picked the ball up in their half, beat a couple of players and lashed one into the top corner - great goal!”

Ward added: “He was very disappointed, Chuck Martini, an old friend of mine, their manager! We made them look really, really ordinary. He said to me we battered them!

“I had six players on the pitch that were 20-years-old or under. That’s what Richard Lawson, my chairman, and I have sat down and had a chat about and we decided we will give the kids more of a chance. The two centre halves were both 18-year-old, the two centre forwards were 17 and 18.

“They’re trying to learn and win games at the same time. The future’s bright!

“I was ever so pleased for my players on Saturday, ever so pleased. I was proud of them and we got back to playing with a smile on our faces.”

With it being Sunday afternoon, Ward hasn’t been informed about the fitness of Danny Twyman, Tom Tsangarides, Will Graham or Kenny Pratt, but said, “The lads that played yesterday will not want to give away their shirts for anyone else. They’ll be gun-ho and try and get another three points and see where it takes us.”

Visit Ramsgate’s website: www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk

Whitstable Town v Ramsgate

Ryman League Division One South

Tuesday 23rd March 2010

Kick Off 7:45pm

At The Belmont Ground, Belmont Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1QP