Boxing might get us one step ahead of everyone else, says Ramsgate boss Jim Ward

Tuesday 21st December 2010

RAMSGATE boss Jim Ward says his side will pack a punch against two of his Kent rivals over the festive period, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Rams are in 12th place in the Ryman League Division One South table, with 23 points from 21 games, and play two sides struggling in the bottom five.

The Scot takes his side to second-from-bottom side Whitstable Town next Monday, 27 December, before welcoming Chatham Town to Southwood Stadium seven days later.

With The Big Freeze gripping Kent, Ward told www.kentishfootball.co.uk that he is using a different method to keep his players ticking over.

“We’re all going to the Boxing Club tonight,” he said. “We’ve got invited by the local Boxing Club to bring the players up and do some boxing training and get into the ring and all that.

“The last two sessions that we’ve done, we’ve done it in our clubhouse and the guys have worked really hard, but it’s just putting a different slant on things.

“It might get us one step ahead of everyone else, who knows? What I mean it’s a bit of fun. We won’t train again (before Christmas) so the next time we’ll play is on Monday, Whitstable away, all being well.

“Firstly they get is that togetherness thing, it’s something else. It takes you away from football and they’ll work hard in the gym tonight, they will have the punch bag and they’ll be using different muscles tonight they wouldn’t normally use.

“It’s actually in Margate, so Ramsgate are going to Margate tonight!

“James Gregory, one of my players, is the one that has got this turned around tonight, he’s got the invite tonight and when I got the invite, I jumped at the chance.

“Liam Quinn will be favourite, no-one will want to fight him! He’s the hard man in the team! No-one will want to get in the ring with him! It’s just a bit of fun!”

Whitstable are presently searching for a new manager after parting company with Mark Lane last week.

Applicants (in the strictest confidence) are to submit their CV to Gary Johnson, the club’s vice-chairman and acting secretary, by email gt_Johnson@lineone.net or by calling 07957 424 810.

Despite the Oystermen being without a manager at present, Ward still expects a tough game at The Belmont.

“I expect the same as what Whitstable have always offered,” said Ward, “They work hard, they really work their socks off and they work hard for each other and we have to match that commitment and hopefully we can come out on top.”

All football clubs will be hoping the snow melts ahead of their lucrative derby games over the festive period.

“It’s a frustrating time of the year,” said Ward. “I do feel for all of the chairman of all the football clubs, especially Whitstable, as we’re playing them. If that game doesn’t go ahead that sought-after revenue will be lost.

“It’s one of their bigger gates of the season, they’ll be expecting to get 300 people on Monday, maybe a bit more. Now 300 by eight quid comes to a few bob! It’s money that you can’t allow for it but you know is coming. If we have to go there on a Tuesday night (later in the season) you’d be lucky to get 150.

“I feel for all these chairmen of all these football clubs who miss out on all of these local derbies.”

The inactivity has given Ward a chance to reflect on matters at Southwood Stadium.

“The last two years have been a really trying time for Ramsgate Football Club,” he said. “ We’ve got ourselves to the giddy heights of the (Ryman Premier League) play-off’s and all that and lost some of our senior players to other clubs and a lot are playing in the Conference.

“We had to rebuild and it’s taken two years but the last five games we’ve won three, drawn one and lost one and the one we lost we were by far the better team that got beat.

“We’ve won three out of the last five so we see us probably as strong as we have been for the last two years. I’ve got a settled side and we’re confident going into the next couple of games.”

Ward added: “We go to the Whitstable game full of vigour and full of energy and wanting to play the game and that hasn’t been the case a lot of the time over the last couple of years.

“We’ve got a sense of confidence about us.

“I’m fed up of talking about the rest of the season. I’ve been talking about that for the last two years. I know you see it’s all managers talk about the next game and all that but it is what it is. We’re concentrating on each game individually.

“We know everything about Whitstable and we know everything about Chatham and we find out about every team we play against and get as much as we can out of every game and hopefully that’s three points.”

Paul Foley, who played under Ward at Maidstone United and Ramsgate, brings his Chatham Town side to Southwood Stadium on 3 January 2011 (3pm) and Ward added: “It’s another difficult one. We’ve already played Chatham twice this year, we beat them in the league up there and we beat them in the Kent Senior Cup.

“Now, it’s very difficult to beat the same team three times in one season but again we’ll be positive and we’re on a bit of form at the moment and we’ll look to win both these games.”

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

Whitstable Town v Ramsgate

Ryman League Division One South

Bank Holiday Monday 27 December 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At The Belmont, Belmont Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1QP