Ward pays tribute to chairman as he prepars for more of the same next season

RAMSGATE manager Jim Ward paid tribute to his chairman Richard Lawson and his backroom staff as their season ended in disappointment on Tuesday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Rams fell to their third defeat of the season to Staines Town, losing their Ryman Premier League semi-final play-off at a sodden Wheatsheaf Park.

A controversial 55^th minute penalty, converted by Dave Sargent, gave the west Londoners the lead, after Ollie Schulz was penalised for a challenge on Staines striker Richard Butler, who had initially headed a cross over the top of the near-post.

Staines, who host AFC Wimbledon in an ALL-TICKET final on Saturday, doubled their lead with Andre Scarlett’s screamer with fifteen minutes to play before Ramsgate substitute Simon Pettit scored his third goal of the season with six minutes left as the Thanet side rallied late on.

Pettit glanced home his header into the bottom right-hand corner from three-yards after fellow substitute Dan Dolton delivered a cross from the right.

Although Southwood Stadium will be hosting Ryman Premier League football again next season, which starts on 16^th August, it has been a remarkable journey for the club.

In 2005 the club were still playing Kent League football.

And Ward, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, paid tribute to Mr Lawson in helping the club climb the pyramid in recent years.

He said: “I must say a special word to my brother Danny, my assistant, and the rest of my backroom staff.“Martin Jeffreies, Adrian Hubbard and all that and of course my chairman, Richard Lawson, who makes it all happen.

“Because he’s the one who puts his hand in his pocket and keeps the club going.

“If he wasn’t there the club wouldn’t keep going.”

Despite their promotion hopes ending on a wet west London night, Ward starts preparing for next season in earnest.

Speaking about their end-of-season form, which included a Ryman League Cup Final victory on penalties against wobblers AFC Sudbury, Ward said: “In that period of time we won the Isthmian League Cup, which is a great thing for us, especially on the budget that we’ve got.

“Everybody knows, perhaps I’ve got a decent budget, I’m not moaning about the budget, we’re not the highest spenders in the league.

“I’ve got to sit down with a few of the boys, obviously there’s club’s sniffing around, there’s two or three out of contract.

“We’ve got irons in the fire, there’s other lads who want to come and join us so we’ll take stock.

“We’ve got a player-of-the-year do next week, the presentation night, we’ll take stock and just go again and just do what Ramsgate have done since me and Danny have come back.”

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