Following two pre-season wins against Tooting & Mitcham United and Abbey Rangers, the Bay were brought back down to earth by Sheppey United, who secured a deserved 3-1 win at Holm Park.

Ben Smith had hoped to see his side bounce back with a midweek match against VCD Athletic, but extreme weather conditions meant that it was unsafe for the game to go ahead, something which affected teams across the country.

In that defeat to Sheppey, the hosts took the lead midway through the first half when a dangerous cross into the Bay box was accidentally turned home by Dan Carrington.

Sheppey doubled the advantage just before the break when a loose ball in the box was hammered home by Danny Leonard.

The game was put beyond any doubt early in the second period when a deeply swung corner was forced home by Nickal David Luzolo.

Mike West got a goal back late in the game when his low free-kick beat the ‘keeper, with Zak Ansah maybe getting the last touch, but it was too little too late as the hosts held on to win.

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.

Last season, Ramsgate came within a whisker of qualifying for the Isthmian League South East Division play-offs, at the expense of Cray Valley Paper Mills. However, despite having a greater goal difference, they fell at the final hurdle, missing out by a single point.

From the 38 games that they played, the won 20, drew five, and lost 13, scoring 80 (the second-best scoring rate in the league that season) but conceding 52 (the worst defensive record among the promotion-chasing sides) for a goal difference of +28.

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

Joshua Ajayi (Forward) – The former Crystal Palace academy player was in the form of his life last season, scoring 21 goals and finishing as the Isthmian League South East Division’s second highest scorer, behind Zak Ansah who managed 22. Such was his form that midway through last season, he went on trial with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Considering Ramsgate narrowly missing out on a play-off place, Ajayi will no doubt be fired up to help push his side over the line. If he can replicate last season’s form, they stand a very good chance of doing just that.

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.

Last time we met

The last time we faced Ramsgate was last season on January 29, 2022. On that occasion, we fell to a 2-0 defeat at Southwood Stadium. After a goalless first half, the hosts took the lead when Lee Prescott’s corner beat Jordan Perrin at the near post.

The Rams put the game to bed in the 84th minute when a quick break on the Herne Bay goal saw Ollie Bate square the ball to Joshua Ajayi, who made no mistake from close range, condemning Ben Smith’s side to defeat.

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