I'm not concerned with the league table, says Ramsgate boss Lloyd Blackman

RAMSGATE boss Lloyd Blackman says he is not concerned that his club are in the bottom five in the Bostik South table.

The Rams suffered a 5-1 defeat at promotion chasing Cray Wanderers last night and they remain on 22 points from 21 games, 20 points clear of the sole relegation berth occupied by Shoreham.

Blackman revealed that he had young players take to the field at Hayes Lane, as their more senior players couldn’t get to Bromley owing to work commitments.

“Jacob Mensah, Tijan Jadama, you take for granted the Rory Smith’s and the Alfie Paxman’s and Jack Penny but they’re still under 20,” said Blackman, who score Smith notch his tenth goal of the season to bring Ramsgate back into it at 2-1 down after 51 minutes.

“Rory Smith has been travelling abroad, this is his first season in senior football so that’s 10 goals this season. It’s not bad for someone whose been away for so long and he’s only going to get stronger.”

Goalkeeper Daren Hawkes returned to Ramsgate after leaving Sittingbourne and Blackman said: “He’s been here before. He’s come in and he knows it’s only a short-term situation.  I thank him coming in on short notice.”

Ramsgate welcome their local rivals Herne Bay to Southwood Stadium on Saturday.

The Bay go into the game in tenth-place in the table with 30 points on the board from 20 games and they are only six points adrift of the play-offs., with a game in hand on fifth-placed Hythe Town.

“I don’t doubt the players characters, that’s one thing we don’t,” said Blackman.

“It is going to be a learning curve for these players and they’re well aware of that and as a group we’re well aware that we didn’t jump overboard, no ones been throwing cups of tea or coffee around in the changing room. Pizzagate hasn’t happened.  We ain’t doing anything like that.  It’s not about us, the players character.

“I’m not concerned about the league table, you are and you aren’t!

“I’ve said before we’re a young side that are continually developing and is it disappointing we’re sitting there 20^th? Yes, ok, people may look at it like that.

“Are we a 20^th team in this? No, not at all! We’re certainly not a team in 20^th with the exciting players we have.

“So we need to iron out some things? Yes, but there’s the long-term plan that we’re thinking off so it’s not a case of just patching things up, there’s no one else to patch things up.  It’s not about that, it’s going to be continuity and consistency.

“It’s not the way me and the club and the chairman operates.  We understand the bigger picture, we understand the plan and we’ll keep doing that until we get it right.”

Visit Ramsgate’s website:  www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk

Ramsgate  v  Herne Bay
Bostik South Division
Saturday 2^nd December 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN