Deal Town 2-4 Ramsgate - Not many teams are going to come here and win, says Ramsgate boss Ben Smith

Deal Town 2 – 4 Ramsgate
Location	The Charles Sports Ground, St Leonards Road, Deal, Kent CT14 9AU
Kickoff	26/08/2024 15:00

DEAL TOWN  2-4  RAMSGATE
Isthmian League South East Division
Bank Holiday Monday 26 August 2024
Stephen McCartney reports from Charles Sports Ground

RAMSGATE interim manager Ben Smith insists his side are only going to get better after securing a great result in front of newly-promoted Deal Town's highest League crowd for 73 years. 

Kick-off was delayed for 16 minutes as these two unbeaten sides locked horns in the Isthmian League South East Division for the first time with the Ramsgate supporters in the crowd of 1,985 claiming the local bragging rights.

Last season’s Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division title winners have beaten Lancing (3-1) and Broadbridge Heath (3-1), while last season’s runners-up Ramsgate have opened their campaign with wins over AFC Croydon Athletic (1-0) and much-fancied Sittingbourne (4-2) at the weekend.

Deal Town played with plenty of desire during the first half and lead through Ben Chapman’s third goal of the season before Jack Paxman missed a penalty, before Ramsgate restored parity on the stroke of half-time through Joe Taylor’s spot-kick.

Ramsgate attacking midfielder Tijan Jadama drilled in his third goal of the season with a clinical strike, before Deal Town levelled through a three-man counter-attacking raid scored by Tom Chapman, notching goal number four for the season.

Ramsgate then went on to control proceedings and Taylor scored a trademark goal before scoring his eighth goal of the season with an injury-time penalty.

“Probably how I saw it going, to be honest with you,” said Smith during the post-match press conference.

“We knew they’ll be out blood and thunder, there’s a lot of ex-Ramsgate players in their (squad).  I know Kingy really well, he knows me really well, so we know how each other are going to play and I think momentum is a huge thing in football.

“They’ve got an awful lot of momentum as a team and as a club.  I think it’s a real well-run club here.  I ground shared with Canterbury here, they are good people and it was only going to be so long until they got themselves up and I think they’ll do well this year.

“We like a game to be open, so we’ll just try to put our imprint of our style in the game.  I thought in spells we did that quite well and sometimes you do leave yourselves exposed but I’m certainly of the mindset we’ll go and score more than the opposition.”

Deal Town manager Steven King added: “I thought we played really well. It’s big moments, isn’t it?  You miss a penalty then are sloppy on a clearance on 46 minutes or whatever it was and give a penalty away.

“We know they’re an outstanding side. They’re very strong. I thought we gave a good account of ourselves.  I’m disappointed with the mistakes that lead to goals, but they got punished.

“It was a difficult second half in the end. They were bringing quality off the bench, and we couldn’t get a foot on the ball.  You can’t get up the pitch and it then became difficult, but I don’t think we gave up.

“We exchanged two early goals in the second half and then that fifth goal of the game was going to be massive. I think whoever got it goes on and win it because as legs start to tire, it gets harder to chase.

“I’m not saying we should’ve nicked it at that point. They were probably the better side.  We’ve tried to chase the game, we’ve kept all our forwards on the pitch and then you end up getting countered for the fourth.

“I’m not sure there was a two-goal difference in it but I think they probably just edged it over the course of the 90 minutes, so I haven’t got any complaints. 

“I thought the referee was very good, no complaints with the penalties, no complaints really, just a bit disappointed.”

“I think we showed everyone that was here that we deserve to be playing at this level and across the season we’re hoping to do ok.”

Ramsgate came out with all guns blazing and Deal Town skipper Macauley Murray was penalised for tripping opposing midfielder Lewis Gard.

Ramsgate left-winger Alfie Paxman chipped a left-footed free-kick just past the top of the right-hand post with four minutes and 58 seconds on the clock.

Deal Town centre-back Alfie Foster was pressed by Jadama high up the pitch before the ball was rolled out to left-back Tom Carlse, who delivered a deep cross, which Taylor dummied before right-winger Benedict Bioletti sent his left-footed half-volley over the bar.

Deal Town were their usual threat from set-pieces and on the counter-attack, creating their first opening inside 10 minutes.

Tom Chapman rolled the ball back to right-back Jack Paxman, who launched a long ball down the right and released Tom Chapman, who cut in before unleashing a rasping left-footed drive, which was tipped over the crossbar by Ramsgate goalkeeper Tom Hadler.

“Look, the thing is I’ve known Ben Smith a long time, he’s known me a long time. He knows how we like to play, I know how he likes to play,” said King.

“It was a little bit cat and mouse tactically and none of us have changed our styles, so we always knew there was areas where they would hurt us, which they knew, but we also knew on the flip side there were areas where we could hurt them.

“That little over-load that we created on that side, we knew was always going to be a threat and it was early and we forced a good save.”

Smith added: “Look, we had lots of possession of the football throughout the game and that was the running theme, possession and they looked to counter.  They left a lot of bodies up front and just looked to counter.”

The home side were certainly up for it as nine of their 16-man matchday squad have played for Ramsgate during their careers.

“I think anyone who comes and watches us knows we’ll give 110%.  We won’t give up, we’ll work,” insisted King.

“We were difficult to play against in the first half. I thought we really went amongst them and we respected them, but we didn’t give them too much respect. I think that’s what supporters want to see.  They want to see players that give 100% and we’ve got players to do that and I’m proud of them today.

“I thought they did really well but we want to learn and we want to try to get better.”

Deal Town took a deserved lead with 21 minutes and 51 seconds on the clock, courtesy of a sublime free-kick delivery and a mistake from Ramsgate centre-half Joe Ellul.

Ellul fouled Ben Chapman from behind some 35-yards from goal and Murray delivered a quality right-footed delivery, which Ellul tried to shepherd out of play but the 35-year-old centre-half opened the gate and Ben Chapman slid in at the far post to guide the ball into the roof of the net.

“Yes, a great goal. I don’t want to say too much. A great delivery, a great finish, really pleased,” said King.

“We work really hard on (set-pieces). It always makes me laugh when people say ‘you’re good at set-pieces’ as if it’s like a luck thing.  We’re not the biggest in the world, we’ve got some good headers of the ball but we work really, really hard. We practice, we plan, we look at opposition. We spend a lot of our week doing it.

“We want to try to score the most set-piece goals in this league. We did quite comfortably last year in the SCEFL. We want to try to do that this year.

“It’s got to be a strength to score. We know we’ve got goals in other areas of the team but if you can score goals through set-pieces then I’m pleased with it because I’m a manager who works very hard with the players on them.”

Smith added: “Look, it was a great ball in. Joe Ellul’s left it trying to see it run-out and they’ve kept it alive at the back post, so whether that’s communication from Joe or just a poor decision from Joe, that’s something that we’ll look at.

“You don’t want to take anything away from the goalscorer.  It was a great delivery but we should be clearing the ball!”

Deal Town squandered a glorious chance to double their lead with 23:47 on the clock, when referee Benjamin McDonald awarded his first of three penalties.

Deal striker Rory Smith threaded the ball in behind Jay Leader, who was penalsied for impeding Tom Chapman inside the penalty area.

Jack Paxman sent Hadler the wrong way but drilled his right-footed penalty past the foot of the left-hand post.

“Pax has been confident and been practicing them in training and we were happy with him on it and it didn’t go in. It happens. People miss penalties, don’t they.  If it goes in, nobody mentions it,” added King.

Smith said: “You often see that don’t you, you concede one goal and we just played into the same area of the free-kick has come from for the first goal.  I don’t know, we wasn’t set again and that’s sometimes from the kick-off.  We have to play percentages, kick it down into the corner and play from a throw-in in their half. But that’s just not how we play. Sometimes that happens.

“I think he’s bought the penalty; I’ll be honest with you.  You look at Jay Leader is two feet clearly still and two arms in the air before there was any contact and he’s gone straight into him but look, smart play from their attacker but you can’t give the ball away in that area of the pitch. It was criminal!”

Deal Town’s third corner came in from the left by Murray, the ball was knocked on by left-back Alex Green and Ashley Miller steered his header past the near-post.

Ramsgate’s high right-back Aaron Barnes was seeing plenty of the ball and impressed for the 66 minutes that he was on the pitch for before picking up an ankle injury.  Right-winger Bioletti also picked up an ankle injury, while Deal Town’s striker Rory Smith was substituted with cramp.

King was without defenders Jack Penny, Josh Vincent, Kane Smith and Ifeoluwi Oni with ‘muscle injuries to the lower body’.

Munday somehow got away with a strong challenge on Barnes inside the six-yard box but Ramsgate started to edge proceedings as the game approached half-time.

Barnes was off the pitch receiving treatment for Gard’s right-wing corner, which was cleared out and was recycled back into the box by Ellul, which was plucked out of the air by Deal Town goalkeeper Adam Molloy.

Green hit a long ball into the left-channel and Rory Smith cracked a speculative right-footed snap-shot from 35-yards, which was gathered by Hadler low to his left in the 39^th minute.

“Tom Hadler played for me when we won a national cup with Kent Schools, so we go back a long way.  He’s a quality goalkeeper isn’t he and he made important saves for them at important times,” added King.

The Paxman twins came face to face with each other in a key battling moment.

Barnes fed Gard, who slipped the ball in behind for Alfie Paxman, but Deal Town’s right-back Jack Paxman put his body on the line to deny his brother, as the ball looped over Molloy’s crossbar.

King said: “I thought Jack did fantastically in that battle. He could’ve done better with that clearance, he’ll be disappointed.  I thought he defended really well against Alf.  He’s going to be a key player for us. He’s a decent player. He’s been here a long time. He went off to Ramsgate.  I think a lot of him and he’s got my full support.”

Smith added: “I think they both showed each other a bit too much respect if I’m honest. 

“I wanted Alfie to do a few things against Jack that he didn’t even try but I thought Alfie has a really good game, a solid game.

“Even putting him at left-back, he’s so versatile, he’s just so fit and you don’t want to bring him off because you know he’s always fresh.

“Tom Carlse’s close to two 90 minutes in a few days and Alfie’s a really experienced head.  He makes good decisions and I was really pleased with Alfie.  I think offensively he could’ve done more today but I think in terms of his decisions and his calmness around the group, I thought he was great today.”

Alfie Paxman hooked the ball forward some 35-yards from the Deal Town goal and the impressive Jadama flicked the ball on for Taylor to chip his left-footed shot just over the crossbar, as Molloy and centre-half Foster came out to block.

Deal Town were hungry and full of desire but Ramsgate levelled with 47 minutes and 18 seconds on the clock.

Green fouled Jadama inside the penalty area and Taylor clinically placed his right-footed penalty straight down the middle, as Molloy dived to his left.

“Joe missed one on the opening day of the season but he’s got so much confidence you back him to score,” said Smith.

“I thought we should’ve had a pen before that. The lad has gone straight through the back of Barnsey, whether he’s got near the ball or not, he’s gone clean straight through the back, scissor tackle.  I thought that was a blatant penalty, which we didn’t get.

“We kept plugging away and TJ’s got the wrong side of him.  You don’t dangle legs there.”

King admitted: “I thought it was a penalty, no complaints. I’m not going to be funny, the ref was always going to give it, having given us one. It just makes it an easier decision, but I thought it was a penalty, no complaints.

“They play a quick one-two and they just clipped heals.  He got the wrong side and it’s a penalty. We’d have loved to have gone in 1-0 up but we didn’t.”

Both managers were asked their thoughts at the interval during a 41 minute press conference.

King said: “The goal didn’t change my team-talk, no. I’m not an emotional manager at half-time.  I try to comment on the game and help and try to comment on what we need to do, so regardless of whether they’ve scored or not. We still needed to do the same thing. We needed to be aware of the same things.

“I said look, just take the emotion out of it and just be ready to go and try to perform second half.”

Smith added: “Just be calm on the ball. They want it to be rattled and they want it to be 100 mile per hour. Just be calm on the ball and there were solutions there to play through, which we weren’t doing in the first half.

“We were getting lots of time and space on the ball but we didn’t have the conviction you need to have to really punish teams , whether that will be tired legs.

“I was always worried playing Saturday and Monday when you consider the group really had a week of pre-season together, some boys didn’t do a pre-season.

“In the second half we played out really well and the game then opened up and suddenly stretched in our favour, not against us. It was controlled by us.”

The Rams came out with all guns blazing at the start of the second half, taking the lead only 241 seconds in, following a howler from Jack Paxman.

Jadama fed Barnes, who cut in unopposed from the right before threading a low pass towards the edge of the penalty area.  Jack Paxman tried to pass the ball short to a team-mate on the edge of the box but Jadama clinically drilled a first-time right-footed drive nestling into the bottom right-hand corner from 18-yards, leaving Molloy rooted to the spot.

“TJ stole a march on him and away TJ goes.  We were really getting to grips with how they play and, in the end, the only thing thy had was when we were attacking, the only thing they had was breakaway opportunities, which I was really pleased with,” said Smith.

King said: “We’ve got to clear the ball!  I don’t want to name a team because I’ll sound disrespectful but last season we would’ve made that mistake and they wouldn’t have a quality player to drill it into the bottom corner from 20-yards.

“You can’t make mistakes against quality players in that area of the pitch and not expect to get punished, so we’ll learn from it, we’ll learn.”

However, Deal Town showed plenty of character and hit Ramsgate on a three-man counter-attack raid to restore parity with 09:00 on the clock.

Ramsgate’s fifth of six corners came in from the left and Molloy palmed Gard’s corner away with an outstretched arm from within a crowd of players.

The home side swiftly countered down the left through substitute left-winger Wesley Hennessey, who picked out striker Miller in the middle, who put in on a plate for Tom Chapman to sweep his right-footed shot into the bottom near-corner.

“We’re always going to be a threat on the counter,” admitted King.

“Wes – just with his work commitments hasn’t been able to train or play that much.  He made an impact there, a great ball through to Miller, cut it across and Tom’s on good form, got a couple at the weekend, another good finish.

“I thought he was outstanding for the whole 90 minutes again today, I thought he was different class.

“We have character. A lot of these players have played for the club for a long time and they’re never going to roll over.  They’re going to keep working and we did that and it gave us a lifeline.”

Smith said: “We’ve made subs’ and it was just a lack of communication on who was doing which role, which meant we had too many players forward and you’ve just got to wipe somebody out in that situation and we didn’t.

“The play kept going and going and going.  You just knew it was going to end up in a tap in goal and that’s what happened. It was shocking, shocking for a team at this level to concede that goal, let’s be honest.

“Accountability on us on the sidelines and the players’ on the pitch.  That was a pure error in terms of the organisation.”

Ramsgate controlled the remainder of this East Kent derby, with substitute right-winger Joshua Ajayi being the man that turned the game.

Gard started the move before the impressive Ajayi linked up well with Barnes, who received the ball from Ajayi’s reverse pass before Barnes’ right-footed half-volley flashed just past the foot of the right-hand post just before the hour.

“You kind of looked at that right-hand side, Barnsey got beaten up all over the place so he looked walking wounded, Benny (Bioletti) the same,” claimed Smith.

“We felt that was the area that would cause them problems and we needed to freshen it up and that’s what we did in the second half.

“I thought Josh Ajayi and Roarie Deacon, when they came on, really put some class and some authority in terms of how we play.”

King said: “They were very comfortable at keeping a football and only people who understand football will know that when you can’t get the ball back, it’s very difficult to get momentum in the game and attack.

“We didn’t purposely sit in. We didn’t try to sit back.  They just kept possession of the ball very well in the second half but we couldn’t get on it and we couldn’t get up the pitch.

“That in a way helps you a little but because by them having so much of the ball it does expose space in behind if you can nick it but we just didn’t have that little bit of quality.”

Ramsgate started slowing the game down and Ajayi’s right-wing throw-in went to Barnes who teed up Gard, whose left-footed drive from 22-yard stung the fingers of Molloy.

“We kept them quiet, you could hear it in the crowd really, you could hear how the game had swung,” said Smith.

“They had a 15-20 minute spell in that first half but second half I thought we showed our experience, we took the sting out of the game and then we had real purposeful forward thinking play, which I was quite impressed with and that opens you up.  When we made the right decisions and the right movements going forward we’re going to score goals, simple as that.”

A slow, patient built-up helped Ramsgate taking the lead with 23 minutes and 22 seconds on the clock.

Ellul started the move on the half-way line and he played the ball into substitute right-back Roarie Deacon, who played a one-two with Ajayi before Deacon put in a low cross into the home side’s penalty box down the right.

Taylor pinned Deal centre-half Max Niblett, turned and clinically drove his shot into the bottom right-hand corner from 10-yards.

“I think that’s an unbelievable goal by the way! He’s pinned his man, a couple of shimmies, a couple of dummies and a great finish,” said Smith.

“I just applauded ‘wow what a goal that is,’ and the game was getting stretched. It was just opening up for JT.  He does what he does.”

King compared the prolific Taylor to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

“The problem with Joe, you know exactly what he’s going to do but stopping it – we’ve done all the videos, we’ve done all the work, we know that they’ll come inside and pop it into his feet in the box and he’ll try and turn.

“If you watch the video of the first half, we’ve stopped balls being popped into his feet.  We’ve worked on that in training but as the game gets stretched and lets get tired and we didn’t have much of the ball second half.

“He scored 53 goals last season for a reason, so a bit like the Premier League, you know what Haaland is going to do but if everyone know how to stop him.

“I know he’s got a hat-trick but he’s scored two penalties – you know he’s clinical from there.

“Joe was doing it against Football League teams last season. I remember Joe when he was a kid and he used to score hundreds of goals against me in school’s football. He’s always been quality and that’s why they’ll be right up there.”

“I can’t fault Max Niblett. He’s going of to uni again next week. He’s filling in for us for a couple of weeks and I thought he was outstanding again today.”

Ellul hit a long ball out of defence and Taylor dropped deep and wide to play the ball inside to Ajayi, who played in Jadama in behind Munday (who had dropped to centre-half) and Molloy had spilt Jadama’s drive and the ball came out to Taylor, who drilled a first time right-footed shot harmlessly wide.

Deal Town didn’t have the quality required to punish Ramsgate on the counter-attack, as referee Benjamin McDonald awarded his third penalty of the game, which was converted by Taylor for his hat-trick 19 seconds into eight minutes and 36 seconds of stoppage time.

Jadama drove into the box, cutting in from the left before he was tripped by substitute Alex Smith and Taylor’s long run up to the ball saw it nestling inside the bottom left-hand corner, as his right-footed kick sent Molloy the wrong way.

“At 3-2, they wanted it to be a basketball game.  We had Josh Ajayi on, TT (Tushaun Tyresse-Walters) on suddenly we’re fresh going the other way, so we’re very happy for it to open and that’s the beauty of the squad at the minute,” said Smith.

“We have really got some depth in wide areas.  One comes off, the other comes on and there’s really quality and there’s a threat. Those four players, most clubs in this league would want those players.”

King added: “It’s an awful set from a throw-in.  We’re trying to get back in, that’s our honesty, isn’t it, giving away a penalty.  We’re desperately trying to get back and cover the mistake but TJ’s clever. He just run across him and it’s a penalty, no complaints.”

The early pacesetters in this eighth-tier league are Sheppey United (nine points), Ramsgate (nine), Beckenham Town (seven), Sittingbourne (six) and Deal Town (six).

King takes his side to seventh-placed East Grinstead Town (one win, two draws) next Saturday.

“We’ve got six points from nine. If you had offered me that before we kicked a ball against Lancing, I would’ve more than happily taken it,” said King.

“We’ve got a tough game away at East Grinstead next Saturday, but we have no worries going away from home. Our away form was outstanding last season.

“If we can pick something up and we end up with seven or nine from 12 then we’ll take that, especially as promoted sides (Erith & Belvedere and Phoenix Sports) struggled last season.

“The big thing is, I’ve just had a quick word with Smithie, we get on well. They knew they were in a game and that will give us confidence when we play the Sittingbourne’s, the Ashford’s and the Margate’s.

“Everyone that plays us will have a real scrap and that getting promoted is what we want to do. We’ve given it a real good go and we’ve shown what we are about because I think after 42 games, we’ll certainly win enough to have a good season.”

Ramsgate, meanwhile, welcome tenth-placed Isthmian League Premier Division side Folkestone Invicta in The FA Cup First Qualifying Round.

Andy Drury’s side came away from Hastings United with a 2-1 win today and have picked up two wins and a draw from their first four league outings.

“If you said to me nine points out of three games, if you said to me a win and two draws I would’ve taken that all day long,” said Smith.

“We’re only going to get better. We’re 60%, 55% of where we can be as a group.

“It’s been hard work, let’s put it right, it’s been hard work. It’s been tough but you’ve seen out there coming to Deal away and getting the win on the back of Saturday when we’re a few sessions light in terms of fitness, I think it’s a great result.

“They’re a good side, not many teams are going to come here and win.”

Deal Town: Adam Molloy, Jack Paxman, Alex Green, Billy Munday, Max Niblett, Alfie Foster (Aaron Millbank 66), Ashley Miller (Alex Smith 80), Macauley Murray (Jamie Kennedy 73), Rory Smith (Wesley Hennessey 48), Ben Chapman, Tom Chapman.
Sub: Zak Hammond

Goals: Ben Chapman 22, Tom Chapman 54

Booked: Aaron Millbank 90

Ramsgate: Tom Hadler, Aaron Barnes (Roarie Deacon 66), Tom Carlse (Tushaun Tyresse-Walters 80), Tom Clifford (Medy Elito 86), Jay Leader, Joe Ellul, Alfie Paxman, Lewis Gard, Joe Taylor (Vance Bola 90), Tijan Jadama, Benedict Bioletti (Josh Ajayi 46).

Goals: Joe Taylor 45 (penalty), 69, 90 (penalty), Tijan Jadama 50

Booked: Joe Ellul 84, Lewis Gard 88

Attendance: 1,985
Referee: Mr Benjamin McDonald
Assistants: Mr Alan Widnall & Mr Matthew Williams
Referee Coach: Mr Darren Blunden