Reserves 2 Faversham Town 4

This afternoon the Stiffs welcomed League leaders Faversham Town to Southwood for their first meeting in the League, although the Reserves beat them at Salters Lane in the Floodlight Trophy. As the Rams’ 1st team was without a game Jim Ward took control of the fixture and Ramsgate fielded a very strong line up.

This did not deter the visitors, who took a 3 goal lead in the opening 30 minutes. The first came in the 16th, when sloppy defending saw the Town centre forward go one-on-one with Jack Smelt, who went to ground and the striker managed to go to his left to slot the ball home. The 2nd came when Smelt was off his line and an ambitious lob from just outside the area paid off. A clumsy challenge by Ollie Gray on the half hour saw Town awarded a freekick on the edge of the area 15 yards out, which was wwhipped across the goal mouth and headed in at the far post. The Rams got one back 2 minutes later from a Warren Schulz freekick 20 yards out, that beat the wall and the ‘keeper, but Town got their 4th when the ball bounced free in a goalmouth scramble and was turned in at an acute angle at the far post.

Schulz’s goal-bound freekick    (courtesy Roger Bennett)

In the 2nd half Ramsgate were much more dominant but kept at bay by some great work by the Town ‘keeper, although with 15 minutes to go a Schulz header at the far post had him beat only for the upright to deny the goal. Ramsgate did manage to score, but it was not until the final minute that Jack Kirkby evaded a defender in the area and rifled the ball past the ‘keeper.

Reserves: Jack Smelt, Curtis Winnett, James Gregory, Luke Wheatley (Warren Schulz 20), Liam Quinn (c), Ollie Gray, Mitchell Sherwood, Jack Kirkby, Mark Lovell (George Amber 46), Zack Thomas, Paul Axon. Unused Subs: Aaron Beech, Ryan Harker, Brett Mills.