I'm expecting a dour game against Eastbourne Town, says Jim Ward

Thursday, 26 January 2012

RAMSGATE boss Jim Ward has warned the Southwood Stadium faithful to expect a dour game when negative Eastbourne Town visit on Saturday.

Eastbourne Town arrive sitting in sixteenth place in the Ryman League Division One South table, with 27 points from 25 games and held Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta side to a goal-less draw last weekend.

Ward said: “I’m expecting a dour game. They’re very defensive minded. They’ll come here with two sets of four, maybe even 4-5-1 and come here trying to get a draw. We’ve played them before, we normally get a draw against them, but I’m confident we’ll get three points.”

Two goals from striker Ian Pulman and one from Luke Wheatley sealed a 3-2 win at bottom-of-the-table (if you take Croydon Athletic’s expulsion into account) Whyteleafe last weekend.

Ward said: “It was a lot more comfortable than what it sounds. We went there, they got two goals on the break both from set-pieces funnily enough. I was disappointed with one but the other one was a good strike.

“The rest of the game we dominated really. We scored three, we should have got a lot more. We’ll take the three points but it’s a nice three points away from home.”

With the Surrey outfit fighting for their lives to escape the drop, Ward revealed he was impressed with their work-rate.

He said: “They were biting and scratching and trying their hardest. Fair play to them. They were an honest set of lads but we were better so I’m pleased with that.”

Ramsgate defeated Kent League side Canterbury City 4-2 in a home friendly match on Tuesday night, with Joe Taylor (2), Tom Chapman and Michael Yianni getting on the scoresheet, whilst former Ram, James Gregory featured for Canterbury in the left-back berth.

Ward signed a couple of reserve team players on Ryman League forms following the game, centre-half Josh Woods and left-back Josh Merry.

Looking further ahead, Ramsgate welcome third-placed Dulwich Hamlet to Southwood Stadium on 4 February.

The south Londoners have clinched 56 points from 25 games and are closely behind leaders Bognor Regis Town (58 points) and Whitehawk (57).

Ward said: “We went up there and got beat 1-0 and shouldn’t have got beat. We played ever so well. It was a good footballing game.

“We’re playing some good stuff at the moment; they’re a good side. They’re a bit unfortunate that they’ve got two big clubs with Bognor and Whitehawk in there because they’re having a great season but those two have just got too much money than anyone else, that’s what’s wrong with them!”

Ramsgate are in tenth place in the table with 38 points from 26 games. They are fourteen points adrift of the play-off places and nowhere near to trouble.

When asked how he will treat their last remaining fourteen league games, Ward said: “We’ll play Eastbourne on Saturday and see how we’ll get on. That’s the big one and see where we are on Saturday night. We’ll never give up on anything.”

Meanwhile, Pascal Ebigbo and long-serving stalwart Warren Schulz (toe) are out through injury.