Rams chairman Lawson: No-one gave us a chance but we proved them wrong - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Ramsgate will be crowned Ryman League Division One champions if they collect at least a point against Kent rivals Ashford Town at Southwood Stadium on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

With Tonbridge Angels losing 2-0 at Cray Wanderers and Horsham being held to their second successive draw - 3-3 at home to Burgess Hill Town, Ramsgate clinched automatic promotion following their 3-2 victory in a thrilling east Kent derby against Dover Athletic on Easter Monday.

A crowd of 1121 - their highest of the season - saw the Rams twice come back with Stuart Vahid (two) and Ben Laslett getting on the score-sheet.

It was only Laslett’s second goal of the season and takes Vahid’s tally to twelve in this remarkable season.

This time last year the Thanet club were on their way to clinching the Kent League championship and are now just one step away from the Nationwide Conference South.

There was a double celebration last night too. Former Dover Athletic striker Shaun Welford, whose scored 26 goals for the Rams this season, signed an extension to his contract to keep him at Southwood next season.

“Shaun has agreed an extension to his contract, which is great news for the club,” said a jubilant Jim Ward afterwards.

The Scot is expected to tie up deals for Simon Pettit, Dean Hill and Edd Vahid shortly, and added: “It’s been a great day for the club. Whoever would have imagined it, Ramsgate Football Club will be one division away from the Conference. And that’s what we are now.

“Take away all the gloss out getting promoted out of this league, we are one step away from the Conference - it’s amazing.”

Plenty of hard graft since Christmas 2005 from the club’s friendly band of club officials ensured Southwood Stadium passed Ryman League ground grading.

Chairman Richard Lawson was a very proud man yesterday. “We set our stall out at the start of the season and the lads have come through,” he said.

“When we sat down with Jim before the season started we were aiming for a play-off place to really emulate what Cray Wanderers had done last year.

“As the season progressed we got to the first round proper of the FA Cup and we just felt maybe we’ve got a chance.

“We had that long cup run we fell behind in the league games, which gave us perhaps a false position in the league, lower than we were.”

A lot of people have failed to give Ramsgate the respect and praise they deserve, but Lawson feels this has worked in his club’s favour.

“I don’t really think a lot of the other teams took us seriously, although they should have done because the results we were getting in the cups we’re showing we were a good team.

“Once we got knocked out of the FA Cup, we were concentrating on the league.

“There were two or three teams like Tonbridge that got to the top of the league and they seemed to choke a bit.

“When we hit the top early we wandered if we hit it too early because we saw several teams really hit form and we were very concerned we wouldn’t be able to continue it.
“We haven’t got the biggest squad in the world but they have and the lads have continued and they’ve done brilliantly.

In season 2001-02 the club embarked on a new policy of using local players only. A majority of these players have been together since then, and have helped the club get out of the Kent League (where they lost only four of their 30 league games) as double winners and went on to secure promotion out of the Ryman League first division at the first attempt (losing only five).

Playing in front of four-figure crowds don’t phase this team either. Ward explained that 90% of his squad live within ten minutes from their Southwood Stadium base and there is a family spirit at the club with the players’ other halves and kids watching them in action.

“It’s a good team spirit,” said Lawson. “Before this really started five or six years ago with our youth section - long may it continue.”

Lawson revealed ground improvements shall take place during the close season, with new floodlights costing £35,000 being top of the shopping list.

“It was hard work last year getting up. We had an awful lot to do last year and it was a very busy pre-season to do it.

“In fact when the assessors came down for the initial assessment they didn’t think we would achieve the Ryman Division One standard.

“We’ve done our own assessment and we think we haven’t got too much to do.

“We need to do a bit of work on the changing rooms, we’re looking to get some new floodlights in - that’s the priority.

“I’d like to cover behind both goals at each end and that’s probably it.

“The floodlights will be around £35,000 but obviously we’ve got grant aid for that. All the work we’ve done up to now there’s been no grant money at all used so we’ve got all of that to chip into.”

Lawson calls upon all local football supporters to get down to Southwood Stadium to see their side clinch the title, which they will do if they pick up at least a point against Kent rivals Ashford Town on Saturday.

Next season the club will relish playing Margate in the “Battle of Thanet”, along with their other Kent rivals that will be in the division next season.

“People are going to hear we’ve got an opportunity to win the league and let’s hope it’s another big crowd.

“It was great they came to see something that was a little bit of history. Let’s hope they come back next week. I mean Dover get those sorts of crowds week in, week out. If we can start doing that there’s no limit to what we can achieve.”

Former Maidstone United manager Jim Ward admitted he was surprised that his squad have a chance of clinching the title. He admitted during the close season that the club would be aiming for a top six finish.

“You’ve got to remember I’ve got a squad of eighteen or nineteen players here,” he said.

“They’ve gave me what they had to offer at the start of the season and I thought that would be enough to get me top six.

I’m surprised that we’re so close to winning the league. But I felt play-off’s I what we’ll end up achieving.”

Looking ahead to next season Ward will be keeping faith with most of his players with only a couple of additions as they look forward to a much faster and skilful Ryman Premier League.

“I’m no different from any other manage - of course we have to strengthen” he said.

“But it won’t be wholesale. It won’t be six, seven, eight players. It will be two, three, four maybe. You get dead wood because other people want to move on thinking they can’t get a game and all that.”

As the club clinched the Kent League crown last season the club were struggling to reach 200 but Ward hopes the 600 or so Rams fans in the crowd of 1121 against the Whites bodes well for next season.

“This time last year we won the Kent League and we were getting, if you were lucky, 150, he recalled.

“What was here today? 1200 people? What was really good was half of them were Ramsgate. It wasn’t just all Dover. Half of them were Ramsgate supporters. Local people.

“Now they’ve got something to cling to, now they know what we’ve got will come back next year.

The Rams boss can now look forward to playing some big lucrative games next season - and insists he’s not leaving.

“Remember we’ll have Margate, Folkestone, hopefully Dover will get through the play-off’s and they’ll get promoted. If not it will be Tonbridge probably. What an exciting time for Ramsgate Football Club.”

He revealed: “This year at least 90% of the lads live within ten minutes of the ground,” said Ward.

“Why would anybody want to leave Ramsgate Football Club? People keep speculating about me but why would I want to go to Margate or to the two or three clubs I’ve been offered this year?

“I’m just not interested in going anywhere else. I’m here to do the job I’ve got, I live just around the corner like everybody else.

“I told them all when I came back two years ago, if you stick by me, I stick by you and that’s what I want to do.”

Ramsgate v Ashford Town
Ryman League Division One
Saturday 22nd April 2006
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN