Chipstead 1 Rams 2

Today the Rams travelled to Surrey to face Chipstead (not the Kent one, the one in the Surrey countryside), and after a battling performance relieved them of all the points for the first time.

The Chips kicked off and were very quick off the mark, scoring in the 3rd minute when Martin Grant intercepted a forward ball and ran wide of the Rams’ defence to rifle it low past Daren Hawkes. But the Rams worked there way into the game and 5 minutes later Mitchell Sherwood’s 40 yard freekick was headed back across the area by Steve O’Brien, where skipper Liam Quinn was on hand to head it home. In the 14th minute Gareth Cornhill let fly with a freekick just outside the area and central to the goal, but despite clearing the wall the ball just missed the top right corner where, catching the upright, it ran along the top of the net behind the crossbar. The Chips had another chance just after the half hour, when Jason Goodchild’s cross found Lee Coburn, but he scuffed his shot wide. The Rams were forced to make a change in the 37th minute, with Warren Schulz replacing Simon Pettit who had acquired a nasty lump on his shin from an earlier challenge. Shortly after Quinn got on the end of another Cornhill freekick, but this time his header went outside the post. As the interval approached a cheeky chip by Mitchell Sherwood saw the retreating ‘keeper fumble the ball out with the help of the crossbar, after which Joseph Afusi and Mitchell both had shots straight at the ‘keeper.

In the 2nd half  the Rams were again the more dominant, and although the Chips threatened on the break, it was the Rams who were on the front foot. In the 53rd minute Lovell’s flick-on header was cleared off the line. A few minutes header and Quinn nnearly headed into his own net, as he slipped when attemitng to head a long forward cross ckear, but the ball fizzed across the front of the Ramsgate goal and out for a corner, from which Russell Bedford hit the Rams’ post. Goodchild fired the ball wide for the Chips in the 65th minute, but that was the last real chance for the home side. For the Rams, Joe Taylor looked sharp when he replaced Afusi three minutes later, and his close control frustrated the defence who just couldn’t get the ball from him. The introduction of the pace of Pascal Ebigbo for centre forward Lovell in the 75th minute caused the Chips’ back four even more problems, as well as the ‘keeper, and a half clearance 5 inutes later fell to Ben Laslett, whose volley from the edge of the area was just over the bar. The problems caused by Ebigbo’s pace finally paid off for the Rams in the 90th minute when the ‘keeper challenged Ebigbo as he cut across the front of the area, and the referee pointed to the spot without hesitation when the Ramsgate striker was sent flying. With Lovell already off the field Sherwood stepped up to take the spot kick, which he fired to the ‘keeper’s right as he dived left. An important win for the Rams at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend, with Hythe Town visiting Southwood on Monday.

Rams: Daren Hawkes, Gareth Cornhill, Luke Wheatley, Ollie Gray, Liam Quinn (c), Ben Laslett, Mitchell Sherwood, Simon Pettit (Warren Schulz 37), Mark Lovell (Pascal Ebigbo 75), Joseph Afusi (Joe Thomas 68), Steve O’Brien. Unused Subs: Ryan Harker and Brett Mills.