The lads know we owe our supporters a better performance, says Canterbury City joint-boss Ben Smith

CANTERBURY CITY joint-manager Ben Smith says he trusts his players to get back to winning ways tomorrow.

The club have hired Ramsgate’s Southwood Stadium to play Ringmer in The FA Vase First Qualifying Round, due to the pitch problems at Ashford United’s Homelands Stadium.

Canterbury City were defeated by Ashford United on Bank Holiday Monday evening, the game being switched to Hythe Town’s Reachfields Stadium.

“Since our 2-0 defeat against Ashford on Monday we have been eager for Saturday to come around,” said Smith.

“The lads know we owe our supporters a better performance.

“Although we could feel a bit hard done by to lose the game considering the chances we created, we were nowhere near the level of performance we expect and lacked any kind of intensity to our play.”

Canterbury City lie in ninth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League table, with a 50% record from four league outings.

Ringmer arrive on the Kent coast sitting in the bottom five in the Southern Combination League Division One table (the artist formerly known as the Sussex County League) – a level lower than Canterbury City.

Smith said: “Ringmer will look at our recent results and think this could be a good time to play Canterbury but after seeing the reaction of the players in the dressing room after the Ashford game I am confident that we will get a positive result.

“I think we have been too concerned with the potential threats that our recent opposition pose and need to remember that we are a good side ourselves.

“I’ve decided not to have them watched on this occasion and that could be very naïve but I will show trust in my players to implement our football and I believe that they will repay me with a positive performance.

“Regardless of the money (£600) on offer or the fact that we may be favourites to win the game the message to the players will be to go and play without any fear and express yourselves.

“After three wins on the bounce it was easy for some to get carried away but we knew when we took the job on we would have spells of poor results and to do well in this league you have to dust yourselves off quickly and bounce back and it’s important we go and do that on Saturday.”

Visit Canterbury City’s website:  www.canterburycityfc.com

Canterbury City  v  Ringmer
The FA Vase First Qualifying Round
Saturday 5^th September 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN