We're still aiming for the play off's, insists Ward - EXCLUSIVE

Ramsgate manager Jim Ward has revealed that he’s handing six key players fitness tests ahead of tonight’s Westview Cup third round showdown with Dover Athletic, writes Stephen McCartney.

Liam Morris, Dean Hill, Will Graham, Ollie Schulz, Simon Pettit and James Gregory are all giving the Scot a headache over their fitness ahead of their League Cup clash against the division one south side.

Ward, though, felt his side were hard done by on Saturday, when they were dumped out of the FA Cup, at the second qualifying round stage, by Nationwide Conference South outfit Yeading.

Scott Davies, whose on loan from Reading, scored the decisive goal during the first half, completing a daylight robbery.

But Ward, who led the Thanet side to the first round proper last season, where they lost 2-0 at Nationwide Conference North outfit Nuneaton Borough on 5 November, is pleased with how far the club have come in just over a year.

Ward said in an EXCLUSIVE interview with www.kentishfootball.co.uk :  “The stats on the game, we had nine shots off target, five on target, they had two and two.

“That alone tells you a little about the game. We had most of the ball during the whole game.

“But it shows how far Ramsgate Football Club have come. This time last year when we got to the first round proper we played Nuneaton Borough, who were Conference North, we lost 2-0. They were better than us, put it that way.

“This time round, we’ve played Conference South this time, and we were certainly the better side. So we’re pleased with that.

“We’re pleased the way the club’s gone. We were better than Yeading and that was the general comment. We’re not pleased to be out but pleased with the progress we’ve made.

“We’re disappointed to be out. We wanted to get to the first round proper again.”

Ward explained his aims for the rest of the season, after collecting four wins and a draw from their first nine Ryman Premier League games.

He said: “As we stand at this moment, having played six or seven of the top sides, we sit four points off the play-offs but as Mark Harrop rightly reminds me, we’re only five points off relegation, depending if your glass is half full or half empty.

“My glass will always be half full because that’s the positive way to think.

“We know what our limitations are. We know where we are short and addressing things.

“We know we have to cut our cloth accordingly - we’re not silly.”

But Ward is relishing tonight’s Westview Cup tie against neighbours Dover Athletic, and chairman Mr Richard Lawson is also looking forward to another lucrative cup tie at Southwood Stadium.

Ward said: “Everybody says it’s a two bob cup but my chairman doesn’t because we’ve played Margate in the last round, and except for Wimbledon we had the biggest crowd.

“And tonight we’ve got another local derby, where it will be close to being the highest attendance.

“It also follows perfectly for me because I may give a couple of trailists a game tonight and try a new formation.”

After his plea to find new players on this website last week, Ward revealed he received nine phone calls on the subject, and a couple of them may be involved tonight.

Ward said: “Nine people phoned up. I’ve still got to see them tonight, a couple are coming up to do warm ups and we’ll find out more in a couple of weeks. A couple of trailists may go on the bench.

“The chairman wants us to get into the next round, where we may draw Wimbledon. I want to win every game.

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