Bank Holiday Monday, 26th August 2019

By Tony Rickson

BetVictor Isthmian League South East Division

Ramsgate (1) 1 (S Smith (pen) 42)  Sittingbourne (1) 2 (Campbell 19, 80), Attendance: 208

Ramsgate: Will Godmon, Jack Paxman, Jack Morrell (Yellow card), Tom Wynter, Liam Friend, Dan Carrington, Tom Chapman, Aaron Lamont (Kane Rowland, 75 min), Stephen Smith (Yellow card), George Monger (Miles Cornwell, 82 min), Rory Smith (Ashley Miller, 70 min). Subs not used:

Jonathan Steele, Matt Robinson.

Sittingbourne: Tom Benham, Lewis West, Jason Fregene, Lewis Chambers, Caleb Roberts, Cory Walters-Wright, Enoch Ako-Adjei (Liam Middleton, 54 min), Josh Oliver (Tyrone Guthrie, 54 min), Roman Campbell, Tommie Fagg, Festus Lori (Johan Caney-Bryan, 65 min). Sub not used: Abdel Ndew.

Referee: Peter Cruise; Assistants: Dan Blades, Richard Joss

 Photographs by Ken Medwyn

What a 48 hours for Sittingbourne Football Club.

They enjoyed their first win of the season in Saturday’s FA Cup-tie, kept a clean sheet, and ended with a nice little earner in prize money.

Back on the field within two days in the hottest of seaside weather, and against all the odds, they then picked up their first league win of the season down at Ramsgate.

Against all the odds? Well, they were without four players who would surely have been in the starting XI. Missing for various reasons including injury and work commitments, were Lex Allan, Chris Webber, Shaun Brown and Chris Barnard.

They had to dig deep into their squad, and give full debuts to central defender Caleb Roberts and midfielder Josh Oliver and a first start for winger Festus Lori. They were left with just four substitutes – Sittingbourne had as many photographers pitchside as they had subs!

But at least they had Roman Campbell back after a one-match suspension, and he took his tally to four goals from three games in a stunning start to his month’s loan. If this young man doesn’t make it all the way through to the Gillingham first team I, for one, will be mighty surprised.

Ramsgate went into the match with confidence on the back of a 4-1 away win in the FA Cup, and with the familiar figures of Nick Davies and Tony Cornwell leading them from the sidelines.

Understandably in the heat, and given the quick turn-around since the previous games, both teams started quite slowly, though Sittingbourne’s new-look back four immediately looked up for the job.

Soon after Tommie Fagg had undercut an ambitious long shot with the Ramsgate keeper off his line, Sittingbourne grabbed the lead.

A huge throw-in from Lewis Chambers out on the left caused predictable havoc in the six-yard area but Ramsgate cleared it to the edge of the area. Oliver tried his luck with a shot from there – the bad news was it slewed off target, the good news was that it fell perfectly to the feet of Campbell. His control was instant, and I almost turned away to note the time of the goal so confident was I he’d score from that position.

And he did.

Ramsgate passed the ball around well enough but they could find no way through a stubborn defence and it was 38 minutes before Tom Benham had a save to make in goal. A comfortable one it was, too.

But a couple of minutes later and the Rams equalised from the penalty spot, after a shot was driven against Roberts from very close range and hit his arm. No way did it look deliberate, but that isn’t the point any more.

Ramsgate used their attacking players in a different formation after half-time, a compliment to the way Sittingbourne had so successfully stifled them in the first half. The popular Allan, for one, won’t easily walk back into the team the way Roberts and fellow central defender Cory Walters-Wright kept Ramsgate out, with good support from their full-backs.

Sittingbourne were disciplined and organised in the way they went about the game and held Ramsgate out so well. They’re definitely showing improvements in every match.

Fagg, Walters-Wright and sub Liam Middleton all had chances without being able to make the most of them, while at the other end, Benham made a good save to his right and Rams’ Jack Morrell, who was with Sittingbourne on loan from Gillingham at the end of last season, went close with a shot as he advanced from left-back.

Sittingbourne won it with 10 minutes to go. The assistant referee spotted Rams keeper Godmon handling the ball just outside his area. Fagg slipped the free-kick to his left and Campbell bent a left-footed low shot round the defensive wall and in off the post. A classy and mature finish and a goal worthy of winning any match.

Not sure how Ramsgate kept Kane Rowland on the subs’ bench for 75 minutes given the way he performed week-in week-out for Sittingbourne the season before last, but he could make no difference when he eventually got on.

Benham had to make one picturesque save, arching backwards to tip a shot over the bar, but generally this makeshift Sittingbourne team continued to work hard all over the pitch to see the game out.

Overcoming the non-availabilities was a pretty significant effort. The players rightly enjoyed the adulation of their fans behind the goal at the end after completing a highly successful and pretty exhausting weekend double.