You have to work hard to keep the Ramsgate shirt, says Danny Ward - EXCLUSIVE INTERIVEW

Saturday 30th December 2006

Ramsgate assistant manager Danny Ward believes his side are riding high in the Ryman Premier League table because their players are willing to fight for their cause, writes Stephen McCartney.

During the early stages of last season people labelled the Rams “just a pub side from Thanet.”

But the Kent League champions stuffed the jibes straight down people’s throats as they went on to clinch the Ryman League Division One South championship at the first attempt.

And the Southwood Stadium club go into the new year sitting in sixth place in the Ryman Premier League table with 39 points from 22 games - just five points from their Thanet rivals Margate who head the table.

Danny Ward, 41, who took charge of today’s visit to Kent rivals Tonbridge Angels, because his brother, manager Jim Ward was taking a deserved winter break in Madeira, saw his side lead 2-0 against Tony Dolby’s side before the game was abandoned with 22 minutes remaining.

A screamer from Will Graham and an own goal from Alex O’Brien, whose returned to Tonbridge following a loan spell at Dartford, gave the Rams the advantage before Maidstone official Mr Stuart Butler called the game to a halt due to a waterlogged pitch.

“We actually do better against the better sides than the teams at the bottom,” Danny Ward said EXCLUSVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We’ve played Chelmsford away, who are top, Horsham away, Bromley away, Hampton away, who we stuffed 4-1 and we’ve played Margate at home and in all those matches we have not let ourselves down at all. No one fears us, no one at all.”

Danny Ward explained the secret behind Ramsgate’s success over the past three years.

“I don’t know what it is. It’s a football club, a proper football club,” he said.

“I hear things about the places who get paid the most money and no matter what happens, they play.

“At Ramsgate if you are not doing your job properly there’s people who are champing at the bit to get your place and no matter who they are they will get your shirt.

“As you see this season in the two young lads that we’ve signed from Dover reserves, Ashley Burton and Will Graham, they didn’t get a chance in Dover’s first team and they are now playing in the Ryman Premier Division.

“The players know what they are going to do, get told what to do, and if they don’t, they know what’s going to happen.

“That’s why it’s such a good football club because it’s not the players that pick the team with what they get paid.

“Everybody trained on the corner of the pitch on Thursday night. We had 28 players training, first teamers and reserves. Everybody was there except Shaun Welford, who went back to Newcastle for a couple of days to see his family, Paul Wilkerson and Kwasi Eduesi, who train in London.”

With such an excellent team spirit within the club - both on and off the pitch - Ramsgate only sign players that will be able to fit in with their excellent spirit.

Ward added: “We’ll push on next year but we always look out for players but they have to be good enough but they have to work into our work ethic.”

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www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk