Herne Bay will be hoping to extend their Kent FA Senior Cup campaign tomorrow evening when they face Isthmian League South-East Division side Ramsgate in the second round.

Under the interim management of Dan Lawrence, the Bay were looking to back up their impressive second half performance against Carshalton Athletic with a positive result against play-off chasing Canvey Island.

However, despite going ahead early in the first half, the Bay struggled against their in-form opposition, falling to a 4-1 defeat at the MBS Stadium.

Marcel Barrington continued his own personal run of good form with a smart finish at the near post to give the Bay the lead.

Joe Paxman levelled things up midway through the first half with an emphatic finish, one which sent both sides into the break on level terms.

The visitors forced their way in front through Odei Martin-Sorondo not too long after the restart, before Charlie Edwards bagged a third with 20 minutes left to play.

And Edwards was on hand moments later to put the game well beyond the Bay, who sit second from bottom in the Isthmian League Premier Division table.

The Opposition

Ramsgate Football Club, formerly Ramsgate Athletic, have been playing at The WW Martin Community Stadium, Southwood since 1886.

The Rams enjoyed success in 1970s and competed in the Southern League Premier, the highest level of non-league football.

Following relegation to The Kent League, Ramsgate won numerous league titles, league cups and county cups during the 90s before more success in the 2000s.

The League & Cup double in 2004-05 saw The Reds promoted to Isthmian Division One, which the Thanet side won at their first attempt to gain promotion to Isthmian Premier. More success followed with Ramsgate winning the Isthmian League Cup.

The Rams fought for promotion to National South in 2008 before eventually losing out in the play-offs before relegation back to Step 4 in 2009.

Following a boardroom overhaul in 2019, the club reassessed its philosophy, alongside a merger of Thanet Colts and Thanet United.

The club centralised its position in the community with an emphasis on breaking down social barriers and improving social inclusion in Thanet. The Rams now have over 70 youth teams and more than ten sides in the women’s section.

Opposition So Far

Currently, our hosts on Tuesday have enjoyed an impressive campaign, sitting atop the Isthmian League South-East Division table after winning nine, drawing two, and losing two of their 13 matches. From those games, Ramsgate have scored 27 goals while conceding 14 for a goal difference of +13.

In the last round of this competition, Tuesday’s hosts survived an exciting encounter against Beckenham Town, drawing 4-4 after the completion of regular time but coming out victorious in the resulting penalty shootout.

Opposition Manager

Saturday’s hosts are managed by former Gillingham boss Steve Lovell, who took over towards the end of last season following Matt Longhurst’s departure.

A storied playing career which saw him feature for the likes of Crystal Palace, Millwall, and Gillingham, Lovell got his first taste of management with Sittingbourne in 1995, before taking charge of Gravesend & Northfleet a year later.

Spells in charge of Hastings United, Ashford Town (Kent), and Bromley were to follow before he pitched up at Gillingham in 2017. He spent two seasons in charge at Priestfield before leaving the now League Two club in 2019.

He had taken charge of Welling United on 13 January 2021 but following the early curtailment of the season, he resigned from his position and following a brief spell as caretaker of Gillingham, he wound up joining Ramsgate.

Key Players

Jack Paxman (Midfielder): The versatile youngster has been a key player for Deal Town over the past few seasons. Jack is an attacking right-back with an all-action style of play and a dangerous throw in that will no doubt be of great use for Ramsgate as they look to achieve promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division.

A former player of league rivals Margate, Jack made forty appearances at Hartsdown Park during the 2018/19 season.

Josh Bexon (Goalkeeper): A new addition to the Ramsgate team, having spent last season in the National League with Dover Athletic. The 24-year-old featured for The Rams as a youngster before a move to Southend United following a positive display for the Kent Representative side against The Shrimpers.

Following his release from the South Essex side, he linked up with Dover but despite starting the season as the number one, he lost his place to Adam Parkes and from then on found himself on the outside of the starting eleven. He will be looking to kick start his career back where it all began.

Pre-Match Comments

Ahead of Tuesday evening’s game, interim manager Dan Lawrence spoke about how a good cup run could spark life into the Bay’s challenging League campaign.

“Sometimes a cup game is just what you need,” explained Lawrence.

“We are carrying a few knocks and there are people out there playing through injury. Going back to mentality, they are running themselves into the ground so you can’t question the that!

“There will be a chance on Tuesday for a few players that aren’t getting the minutes they wanted to show what they are capable of.”

Check out the full interview by following the link below.

https://youtu.be/OGYkPc52X2g

Last time we met

The last time we faced Ramsgate was during our 22/23 pre-season campaign. On that occasion, the Bay surrendered a two-goal lead as our hosts secured a 3-2 win at the WW Martin Community Stadium.

Two well taken goals from summer trialist Rodney Adamon-Eruotor, now playing his football at Sheppey United, put Ben Smith’s side ahead at the break.

Minutes after the restart, Jordan Chiedozie reduced the Bay’s lead to one with a powerfully struck free kick that left Patrick Ohman with little chance.

Josh Ajayi soon levelled things up on the hour mark with a close-range finish as Ramsgate continued to apply pressure on the visitors’ goal.

And the visitors completed the comeback with ten minutes to spare when Ajayi bagged his second of the game following another dangerous free kick.