Leatherhead 4-1 Ramsgate - I didn't see any fight in us, showed no desire and today is another day where we haven't been good enough and we've let the fans down, says apologetic Ramsgate boss Ben Smith

Leatherhead 4 – 1 Ramsgate
Location	Fetcham Grove, Guildford Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 9AS
Kickoff	04/10/2025 15:00

LEATHERHEAD   4-1  RAMSGATE
The Isuzu FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 4 October 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Fetcham Grove

RAMSGATE manager Ben Smith apologised to travelling fans and admitted his players’ let them down after witnessing a car crash of a performance, crashing out of The FA Trophy at the first attempt.

Ian Skelley’s side went into this Third Qualifying Round tie four points clear at the top of the Isthmian League South Central Division table, having picked up 22 points (seven wins, one draw and one defeat) from their nine league outings.

The Tanners – Wembley runners-up back in 1978, and having beaten league rivals Raynes Park Vale (4-0) and 1999 and 2000 winners Kingstonian (2-0) here at Fetcham Grove in the competition this season – gave Ramsgate a cut lip with clinical finishing on a showery and windy day.

Ramsgate arrived at Fetcham Grove on a four-match unbeaten run and sitting in the top-eight in the Isthmian League Premier Division table (13, points, three wins, four draws and three defeats).

Joe Taylor, 34, scored his 104^th career goal for Ramsgate to give Smith’s side a deserved lead but it all went wrong after the half-hour mark.

Leatherhead levelled through an emphatic strike from holding midfielder Mark Walters and went into the interval with the lead courtesy of impressive right-winger Anas Igozuln scoring his third goal of the season.

The Rams put in a very lacklustre second-half performance as Leatherhead killed the game off through attacking midfielder Billy Montague on the hour-mark, before striker Jordan Gallagher came off the bench to finish off a three-man move, leaving Smith a very frustrated man during the post-match questioning.

“Embarrassing! An awful lot was missing,” admitted Smith.

“The first 30 minutes, we were very, very good and as soon as we conceded, we imploded, absolutely imploded and then we lost all sense of any identity of what we’re doing and it was a car crash, absolute car crash!”

When asked what threats Leatherhead posed, Smith replied: “Their desire. I said to the boys beforehand, ‘you’re playing against a team in the League below, they’re doing well in that League,’ so effectively they’re a team that would be bottom half (in our League).

“Normally, what you would say is teams in the League below normally would be a team you would expect to be sort of bottom half of the table in the league (Isthmian Premier), unless they’re exceptional, in which look at Brentwood, what they’re doing at the moment (top of our division).”

Ramsgate created their first opening after only 258 seconds with a well worked move down the right.

High right-wing-back Donvieve Jones played the ball into attacking midfielder Ryan Kingsford who fed the ball to Taylor, whose back-heal set up central midfielder Tijan Jadama and his right-footed drive from 20-yards deflected past the far post.

Leatherhead were a threat on the counter-attack with Igozuln impressing down the right, often getting in behind Ramsgate’s weak link in defence (Tom Clifford, who played on the left of three central defenders) and putting in excellent deliveries within the channel.

“Yes, he played well, put good balls in, they were dangerous with their crosses,” admitted Smith.

Leatherhead’s 10-goal left-winger Nathan Hogan broke and switched the play out to Igozlin, who whipped in a great ball and forced Ramsgate goalkeeper Aiden Prall to push the ball towards safety, diving to his right.

Alfie Paxman clipped Kane Fitgerald from behind and Igozuln delivered a deep free-kick over Ramsgate’s high line and Cameron Black came up from the back to head the ball, which was comfortably gathered by Prall.

Ramsgate won the corner-count nine-to-eight and went close to taking a 14^th minute lead.

Paxman swung the ball in with quality from the right, holding midfielder Billy Munday knocked the ball on at the near post and Leatherhead managed to scramble the ball away as Taylor was ready to pounce on the goal line.

“I thought we were in control of the game, exactly what you wanted to do coming away here. You want to come away and control the tempo of the game, play the way we want to play and then you concede,” said Smith.

Hogan whipped in a great delivery from the left into the middle and an offside flag denied towering central striker Jacob Breckon – before Ramsgate opened the scoring just 39 seconds later.

Often high right-wing-back Donvieve Jones put over a cross from the right, Paxman’s cushioned header down split open Black and Taylor clinically placed his left-footed shot past goalkeeper Sonny Wheeler in an one-v-one, as Ramsgate deserved their lead when it arrived with 17 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock.

“I thought we were fully deserving of the lead at that point, which seems bizarre,” said Smith, who was pleased with Taylor scoring his third goal in four games since returning to his home town club.

“We know he’s going to do that (score), so yes, last couple of weeks I’ve been please with him and Mitch (May).

Leatherhead right-back George Hedley was fouled by Munday some 35-yards from goal and Igozuln delivered the ball with his right-foot and was met by Walters, whose looping header dropped down from grey skies and was comfortably caught by Prall.

Ramsgate built patiently out from the back at the half-way mark with Clifford, a powerfully built Jerome Binnon-Williams before the ball was worked to Paxman on the left.  He played the ball down the line and Kingsford cut in and past Walters before dragging his right-footed shot past the left-hand post from 22-yards.

Leatherhead started to strangle back control just before the half-hour mark, however, missing a great chance to equalise (28:03).

Left-back Louie Paget (who switched to right-back when Kelvin Manuel-Massango came on in the 58^th minute) played the ball down the line to Black down the left-channel before Paget put in a great cross into the middle for Breckon to flick his downward header towards goal, which was blocked by Prall’s left thigh.

“Aiden’s kept the score down today, he’s kept the score down on a number of occasions,” admitted Smith.

A now dominant Leatherhead broke with Montague playing in Hedley on the overlap and in behind the often-missing Clifford, and he whipped in a great cross towards the near post but the six-goal Breckon steered his free header past the right-hand post from six-yards.

Prall stepped out of his penalty area and went down on the curve of the D (29:30) and was treated until play restarted (32:05) and when Smith was asked what was his goalkeeper’s problem, his one-word reply was “hamstring.”

Both sets of players went over to their dug-outs for some tactical advice – but whatever Smith told his players it wasn’t adhered to as Ramsgate were poor for the rest of the game and deserved to exit the competition.

Leatherhead’s quality, heart and desire was miles better than Ramsgate and deserved to pull off a Trophy upset.

“They absolutely wanted it more, absolutely they wanted it more,” admitted the Ramsgate manager.

“I thought we started really well. It was always a worry, this was never going to be a competition where we were going to throw all our eggs in, etc.  There was a worry, will that sink into mindset and stuff but you have to take it on the face value of the game and face value of the game was they wanted it more than we did.”

Leatherhead kept knocking on the door and Igozulin released Hedley on an overlapping run in the 36^th minute and Paget’s near-post first-time flick was blocked by Prall at his near-post. The former Corinthian and Sheppey United goalkeeper being at the right place at the right time despite bravely continuing with a dodgy hamstring that has plagued him all season.

Leatherhead deserved their equaliser when it arrived with 39 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock, following their second corner.

Igozuln swung the ball in from the left, Hogan flicked the ball on and Montague’s diving header cannoned off the near-post. The ball was recycled back into the near-post from the left and Walters’ emphatically drilled his right-footed shot into the bottom far corner.

“We’re trying to bring the ball down, just clear your lines, clear your lines, do the basics well and we didn’t do that and got punished,” said Smith.

“They’re a good side, you give people more than one bite of the cherry, they’re going to go and take it.”

Fitzgerald played a 15-yard pass inside to Montague, who went close with a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which flew over the diving Prall and cleared the top of the right-hand post, as Ramsgate’s players failed to pick the two Leatherhead midfielders.

It was no surprise when Leatherhead took the lead, timed at 44 minutes and 36 seconds on the clock, after Kingsford lost the ball on the half-way line.

A long diagonal was played towards Igozuln, who cut inside the poor Clifford, who put his body on the line with a penalty box block, but Igozuln had a second bite of the cherry and stroked his left-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner – Prall diving to his left and getting a hand to the shot.

“You’ve got to be mindful, you don’t give them anything to build momentum and was it five minutes between the two goals? It was an absolute shocker, absolute shocker,” fumed Smith.

“He’s hit it well. We’ve lost the ball on the halfway line. We’ve tried to dribble the ball on the halfway line, lost the ball.

“I said to them (in the 30^th minute) when there was a break in play, I said we’ve got to limit our touches there and bang. Punished.”

Ramsgate lost Aaron Barnes (right of their back three) to a pulled hamstring injury at the interval, so on came Lewis Gard, who slotted in at the heart of defence alongside Munday and Binnom-Williams, who looked overweight and unfit.

“Aaron Barnes was injured, he had to come off, he pulled his hamstring so he had to come off,” explained Smith.

“JB (Binnom-Williams) was struggling in the first five minutes, so he was never going to last the game.

“Today is not a day where I can blame things like that though. We rested Mitch (May) and rested Ben (Bioletti) today. Rested Raphe (Brown, hamstring injury) who is essential for us at the moment and the players that came in didn’t take the chance and that’s it.

“There’s no excuses. There’s no blaming the referee today. I thought the referee was good, so we weren’t good enough for long enough in the game today.

“As old fashioned cliché as it is, you’ve got to show a bit more passion and desire to win a game of football because at the minute there’s only one winner and you’ve got to turn the momentum,” replied Smith, when asked about his half-time rallying cry.

“I thought we had a couple of half-chances when we were around their final third and we didn’t quite force it in.  JT (Taylor), I think there was one maybe off the line. Yes, you’ve got to do more than that.”

Walters appeared to have pulled something as soon as he released a through ball from midfield, Jones sliced his clearance and an unmarked Hogan dragged his left-footed shot past the near-post from 16-yards, as Leatherhead created the first chance of the second half (7:24).

Leatherhead killed the game off by scoring their third goal with 14 minutes and 11 seconds on the clock in the second half, as Binnom-Williams and Munday were both guilty of poor defending.

The towering Breckon turned Binnom-Williams in the build-up within the final third and Munday was nowhere to be seen as the low through ball was controlled by Montague in between the posts, before clinically beating Prall into the bottom right-hand corner.

“They scored the third on the break, didn’t they and that just knocked the stuffing out of us and from then on it was more of a case of waiting for that whistle to go,” said Smith.

“Good finish, game’s done. I didn’t see any fight in us, showed no desire.  Turning down opportunities to go forward. We’re a possession based side but we were turning down opportunities to go forward.

“We got Mitch (May) on, we had the two strikers on the pitch at that point (three minutes after Leatherhead’s third goal) and we didn’t want to get the ball up to them, it’s just baffling.

“We turned it down, went back. You’ve got to show some urgency in what you’re doing! You’re 3-1 down. It’s the tempo and it wasn’t even like they were killing the tempo. Normally a Cup game teams go 3-1 up and they’re trying to kill the tempo and we killed it for them!”

This wasn’t the same Ramsgate that romped to the Isthmian League South East Division title last season and they simply fell apart.

Mitchell May – who was Taylor’s replacement when he made the summer move to National League South side Hornchurch (before another short stay, at their league rivals Billericay Town) but he couldn’t find the target when Munday recycled the ball back into the box.

Ramsgate were hit by a three-man Leatherhead counter-attack which should have lead to the home side’s fourth goal in the 72^nd minute.

The outstanding Igozuln played a square pass in and around the centre-circle to Fitzgerald, who played a through ball straight down the middle which split open Ramsgate players, substitute winger Benedict Bioletti and Clifford.

Hogan was onside as he started his run inside his own half and latched onto the through ball but as Prall advanced off his line he lost composure just inside the box and cracked his right-footed shot over the bar when he really should have scored.

“It’s one of those, stick or twist and we were twisting all over the place and it didn’t look pretty, let’s be honest,” admitted Smith.

“We were flooding bodies forward, they were a threat on the counter. Of course they were. It’s The FA Trophy, you’ve got to have a go, you’ve got to go for it.”

Taylor laid the ball off and Bioletti cracked a right-footed angled drive sailing over the Leatherhead crossbar at the other end, with the referee awarding Ramsgate a corner, despite Wheeler not making the save.

Leatherhead countered yet again and Manuel-Massango released Igozuln down the left and he cut into the box and Prall narrowed the angle at his near post and made the save with his legs with 15 minutes left.

Smith kept rotating players at the back and sometimes only left a couple at the back, which naturally led to the open nature of the game with Leatherhead counter-attacking and picking them off.

Prall stepped outside his penalty box and requested treatment for a second time in the 85^th minute and although Barnes was forced off with his hamstring injury, the Ramsgate goalkeeper remained on the pitch.

Ramsgate were creating nothing second half and this impressive Leatherhead side scored a well-worked three-man move to score their fourth goal with 42 minutes and 11 seconds on the clock, with two substitute attackers playing their part.

Igozuln played the ball in from the right, striker Lukas Franzen-Jones put it on a plate for an unmarked Gallagher, who clinically found the bottom right-hand corner.

A cheesed off Smith added: “A good finish from them. Well done to them, ruthless but we’re letting the ball bounce from throw-ins and stuff and letting people hook it on and we went two-v-one and they’re getting the hardest place. It’s mental.”

Prall recovered from his hamstring injury as he managed to pull off a brilliant flying save inside stoppage time, flying high to his left to prevent Fitzgerald stroking his right-footed free-kick into the top right-hand corner from 30-yards.

“I thought Aiden had a good game today,” added Smith, who was asked about the mood in the visitors’ dressing room post-match.

“Hopefully embarrassed! I’ve just said that to them in there.  You heard the fans, even at 4-1, you heard the fans signing so appreciate them travelling.  Very disappointing not to give something to sing about going home.

“It’s not often I’ve come away to an away game and felt embarrassed. I did at Lancing two years ago. I went on the coach to apologise to the supporters and today is another day where we haven’t been good enough and we’ve let the fans down.

“Not often we’ve come away from home and been that p**s poor.”

Prall made a comfortable catch just 30 seconds earlier to catch Franzen-Jones free-header after Paget put in a cross from the right.

Ramsgate return to Isthmian League Premier Division action next Saturday against Wingate & Finchley, a side that are in the bottom two with four points from seven games.

“We have to be better than what we were today,” said Smith.

“We’re in good form in the League at the minute, so we need to continue that good form. We’re training twice this week. We’ve got to right a few wrongs.

“We need to have some energy and desire about us and if you haven’t got desire, you shouldn’t be at the football club.

“One loss doesn’t suddenly mean we’re a bad team. You don’t become a bad team overnight, so I’ve never been a manager, never been a club where we’re going to make wholesale changes off a couple of results (after drawing 1-1 at home to Cray Wanderers last weekend).

“We’ve done some great stuff in the last six games, so we want to build on that.

“The League is always priority. We’ve had two seasons of great Cup runs. It’s just one of those, it wasn’t to be today and ultimately that’s on me, so it’s not good enough.”

Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler, George Hedley (Kelvin Manuel-Massango 58), Louie Paget, Mark Walters (Sebastian Tayta-Caballero 74), Niran Butler, Cameron Black, Nathan Hogan (Jordan Gallagher 79), Kane Fitzgerald, Jacob Breckon (Lukas Franzen-Jones 79), Billy Montague, Anas Igozuln (James McLeod 90).

Goals: Mark Walters 40, Anas Igozuln 45, Billy Montague 60, Jordan Gallagher 87

Booked: Jacob Breckon 67

Ramsgate: Aiden Prall, Donvieve Jones, Alfie Paxman, Jerome Binnom-Williams (Leo Todd 79), Aaron Barnes (Lewis Gard 46), Tom Clifford, Tijan Jadama, Billy Munday, Joe Taylor, Ryan Kingsford (Benedict Bioletti 63), Kai Garrett (Mitchell May 63).
Sub: Oliver Jackson

Goal: Joe Taylor 18

Booked: Billy Munday 82, Tom Clifford 90

Attendance: 489
Referee: Mr Colman O’Meara
Assistants: Mr Anthony Browne & Mr Joseph Casey