Whitstable Town 1-0 Ramsgate - You can't lose here and expect to get into the top five, says Ward

Nolan’s first game in temporary charge ended in a morale-boosting victory, as former Ramsgate striker Stuart Vahid came off the bench to secure a last-gasp victory over 12th placed Ramsgate.

It was a vital time to score his sixth goal of the season as it ended Whitstable’s thirteen match run without a win and it was also their first clean sheet since East Grinstead were knocked out of the FA Cup back on the 11 September - eighteen games ago.

The margin of victory should have been greater, but Ramsgate’s highly-rated stopper Jack Smelt pulled off a string of fine saves, which included making a double save from Ian Pulman’s penalty.

Whitstable’s third league victory of the season has enhanced their chances of avoiding relegation from the Ryman League as they have now closed the gap on third-from-bottom Corinthian Casuals with 15 points from 20 games.

Whitstable parted company with Lane - who has since teamed up with Keith McMahon as goalkeeper coach at Thamesmead Town - a couple of weeks ago and his coach Nolan stepped in as the club advertise for a replacement manager.

Vice-chairman Gary Johnson confirmed on the eve of the match that he has received 15 applications for the post and the club will interview candidates in the opening two weeks of January.

A dozen volunteers arrived at the ground from eight o’clock in the morning to clear ice from the pitch and their efforts were rewarded when Canterbury based referee Phil Knight passed the pitch playable at eleven o’clock and match referee David Buck issued the thumps up upon his arrival later on.

Their heroic efforts were rewarded as the club attracted their largest crowd of the season and those efforts were noticed by Nolan, who was Peter Nott’s coach at Ryman Premier League side Maidstone United earlier in the season before the new board brought in Andy Ford and Steve Butler.

“They started at eight o’clock this morning, all the committee were down here working really hard on the pitch,” Nolan told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after he emerged from the home dressing room with three points in the bag.

“It looked as though the game would be on, but due to their hard work they put it on.  I explained that to the players, we got them in early and we had a little bit of lunch.

“They were rewarded with plenty of hard work (from the players), so a very pleasing day all round.”

Whitstable were certainly prepared for the battle as all of their outfield players wore shirt-sleeved shirts in the biting cold, whilst three Ramsgate players, Ollie Gray, Aaron Beech and Mitchell Sherwood donned black gloves.

But it was Ramsgate that created the game’s first real chance when left-back James Gregory intercepted a square pass from Pulman and burst forward before his progress was ended by TJ Moncur.

Central midfielder, Warren Schulz stepped up and struck a right-footed free-kick from thirty-yards, which looped over Kevin Fewell’s crossbar.

The 31-year-old then twice tried his luck from long-range, with his first effort bouncing once into Fewell’s arms and then flashing a swerving right-footed drive just wide,  in a good spell from the visitors.

But Whitstable squandered an excellent chance to break the deadlock when they were awarded a 21st minute penalty - against the run of play at the time.

Moncur fed striker Lloyd Blackman inside the box and the skipper twisted and turned before Gregory sent him crashing to the ground and Mr Buck pointed to the spot.

But 12-goal Pulman scuffed a poor right-footed penalty straight down the middle of the goal for Smelt to block and the striker stabbed the ball straight into the grounded keeper’s arms from just four-yards out when it appeared easier to score.

To Pulman’s credit he didn’t reflect on that as within three minutes he met a right-wing cross from Scott Heard with a near-post glancing header, which was brilliantly tipped over by the diving Smelt.

Pulman then turned provider, but Blackman should have done better than to curl a low right-footed shot around the far post, when he only had the keeper to beat.

Ramsgate’s best chance to score arrived in the 31st minute when striker Mark Lovell latched onto Paul Axon’s flick, but he could only blast a right-footed shot against Fewell’s legs.

Whitstable were cursing their misfortune again when Pulman looped a shot from the corner of the penalty area high into the air and with Smelt struggling the ball dropped down and bounced agonisingly onto the top of the crossbar.

Blackman then played a diagonal pass for Michael Yianni, who cracked a right-footed half-volley from the edge of the box, but Smelt spread himself to claw the ball away.

The second half didn’t see much goal-mouth action, although Whitstable right-back Gareth Cornhill looped a 30-yard free-kick over and Ramsgate substitute Gary Lockyer was unlucky when his right-footed drive from the edge of the box deflected agonisingly past the foot of the left-hand post just before the hour-mark.

Ramsgate squandered another good chance in the 73rd minute when Lockyer’s left-wing corner found Lovell at the far post, but the former Ashford Town striker saw his bullet header shade the near post.

Lockyer then sent a left-footed curler agonisingly wide of the post, before they were thankful for another could of fine saves from Smelt.

Louis Smith smashed the ball straight through the heart of Ramsgate’s defence for Pulman to latch onto, but the striker was denied by Smelt’s legs and the ball bounced past the right-hand post.

Yianni thought he had scored when his right-footed effort from outside the box was destined to curl into the corner, but Smelt got a decisive touch to send the ball wide.

But Whitstable sealed a deserved victory - with 46:22 on the clock - as Vahid converted from inside a crowded penalty area.

Yianni smashed a right-footed shot towards the bottom far corner of the net, but Vahid stuck out a leg and shinned the ball high into the roof of the net.  But he is claiming the goal, although Ramsgate defender Liam Quinn might have got the final touch.

Nolan was pleased with the last-gasp winner.

“If we’d came off nil-nil, I would have been disappointed and felt as we’d lost two points today,” he said.

“I thought we created a lot of chances.  The goalkeeper’s made some good saves, half a dozen good saves and he’s made three terrific saves, which on another day they would’ve gone straight in, so I thought we deserved our win.”

Nolan pulled off a masterstroke as he replaced Pulman with match-winner Vahid, who took less than four minutes to score.

“I just wanted to change it a little bit,” explained Nolan.  “I thought we needed something else up front, just to vary it.  I didn’t really want to change the shape as I thought we looked solid.

“I didn’t certainly want to lose the game and I certainly wanted to push on to go and win it.  We tried to get him on about ten minutes beforehand and it looked like we were going to score.

“I told Stuart to keep playing on the last man’s shoulder and get through there and he did that well from the first minute he got on.”

Nolan praised his players for their character during what has been a torrid start to the season.

He said: “I think people have stood up, there’s some real strong characters and I thought we looked solid all the way through.

“I’ve not been here too long so they don’t know me that long, they only know me from the training ground.  The players responded well and I’m pleased.”

When asked whether he was one of the fifteen people that have applied for the job, Nolan replied, “I’ve spoken to the chairman, he knows my feelings on that.  I love being on the coaching ground and working with the players, which is my forte, but I really enjoyed it today so we’ll have to wait and see.

“I wouldn’t say no, I wouldn’t say it was a no!”

Nolan, who has reserve team manager David Fairclough as his temporary assistant, added: “If the new manager comes in he may bring his own staff so I will need to wait and see what happens.”

Ramsgate boss Jim Ward, who was sporting black gloves and hat to keep warm, was clearly disappointed with his side’s eleventh league defeat of the season.

“I thought we could’ve played here all day and nobody would’ve scored,” Ward told www.kentishfootball.co.uk as he emerged from the warmth of the visitors’ dressing room.

“There was plenty of shots on target from both sides.  Their keeper was saving ours and they were blocked on the line, hitting somebody in the head, hit somebody on the backside, all that.

“I didn’t think anybody would score in the end.  It’s one of them, it’s come off his shin-pad, looped over about three players and fell in the back of the net, so it’s disappointing.

“We could’ve played better, we didn’t play very well either. It’s a disappointing day all round!”

Ward wants his side to rise up the Ryman League Division One South table, but losing to a relegation threatened side does not make good reading.

He said: “We’re sat there in mid-table, we want to push on and get in to the play-off’s or get around the play-off’s.  At the moment we’re a million miles from it.

“We need to be better than what we are.  It’s halfway now I suppose, so you’ve got to win a lot more games than what you lose.

“No disrespect to Whitstable, you can’t go to a team that’s second bottom and get beat and expect to get into the play-off’s!  You should be winning these games or expect to get something out of them.”

Ward confirmed Sam Cliff was withdrawn just before the break due to a tactical move and that 

Simon Pettit (Achilles) and Ben Laslett (flu) were ruled out.

“Ben’s got the flu, but he’s had the flu’ for two weeks, he’s not very well at all and we’re obviously concerned about him,” added the Scot.

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Gareth Cornhill, Gary Sayer, TJ Moncur (Dan Wisker 72), Adam Douglas, Louis Smith, Michael Yianni, Ant Bodle, Lloyd Blackman, Ian Pulman (Stuart Vahid 88), Scott Heard.

Subs: Kieran Morris, Steven Lloyd, Ben Smith.

Goal: Stuart Vahid 90

Booked: TJ Moncur 16, Scott Heard 51

Ramsgate: Jack Smelt, Ryan Harker, James Gregory, Ollie Gray, Liam Quinn, Mitchell Sherwood, Aaron Beech, Warren Schulz, Mark Lovell, Sam Cliff (Gary Lockyer 41), Paul Axon (Curtis Winnett 56).

Subs: Luke Wheatley, George Amber, Brett Mills.

Booked: Aaron Beech 52, Mitchell Sherwood 63

Attendance: 301

Referee: Mr David Buck (Istead Rise)

Assistants: Mr Richard Joss (Margate) & Mr Benjamin Wesley (Dover)