Match Review : Ramsgate 0 VS Chichester 1
It was a bleak and dismal evening for Ramsgate FC as they fell to defeat in the final minutes of the Isthmian League – South East Division Semi-Final Play-Offs.
first half
The Rams started off strong with an air of confidence and great interlink play between Joe Turner and Benny Bioletti dominating the righthand side of the park. Creating chances for Benny to strike one narrowly over the bar and for Joe to whip crosses in that was dealt with well by the Chichester defence.
The Rams couldn’t find a break-though even with the majority of possession until a cross from Joe Turner was guided home by Joe Taylor only to be ruled out by the linesman, it was controversially ruled out as offside but with no VAR, the linesman decision was final.
This dominance continued with the odd counter attack from Chichester, with their number 9 showing composure and strength holding up the ball well and giving the opposition a series of chances that the Rams backline dealt with well with precise challenges and great keeping skills from Tom Hadler between the sticks.
The weather wasn’t doing either teams a favour as the torrential downpour continued throughout the first half causing the surface to be slippery and the ball to skim off the surface that gave Lee Martin issues as he sprayed long balls throughout the first half creating opportunities but the wingers found it hard to judge the bounce.
Lee Martin had dominance in the centre of the park controlling the game with his composure on the ball looking for the runs from Benny Biotelli and Jordan Green. Jordan made multiple darting runs in the first half causing the Chichester defence a lot of issues as his strength and pace on the ball gave him the advantage over their backline.
The first half ended 0-0 with both sides looking for that breakthrough but with the Rams edging the possession nd chances created.
second half
The second half started as the first ended with a series of attacks from the Rams with Jordan Green, Alfie Paxman and Joe Turner all creating chances. The Chichester backline held strong and couldn’t be broken down, it seemed like neither team would score as for a long period of time play broke down before either team could get in the oppositions final third.
TJ Jadama continued his strong form this season and made a multitude of runs taking on the Chichester players but even doing so couldn’t find the final ball to make the breakthrough. Until Lee Martin had an amazing strike from the edge of the area that saw the ball graze off the crossbar. This was followed by a series of strikes on goal, where the Rams just couldn’t find the back of the net, the Chichester keeper had his work cut out for him as he made save after save to deny the Rams.
As the game was drawing to a close the intensity increased with both teams desperate to score and it became end to end stuff until in the 87th minute Chichester has their goal from a strike that went to a sea of players to find the back of the set.
The Rams reacted immediately and created a number of chances back to back, the game was heating up as tempers flared and silly challenges started to happen. TJ was brought down by the Chichester substitute, holding him and bringing TJ to the ground and in part inadvertently caught TJ in the back causing the star man some clear discomfort. Tempers erupted and the players from both sides where seen pushing each other and shouting.
Play continued with TJ in clear pain, as soon as the ball went out of play he was taken off to seek medical assistance. We soon saw the arrival of Wes Hennessey from the bench who made an instant impact. Wes Hennessey injected some energy in the closing minutes pressing the Chichester backline and came very close with an in-swinging ball from Jordan Green was met by Wes heading the ball wide as he leaped above the Chichester centre back.
As the final whistle drew closer the Rams created a series of attacks that resulted in 4 corners back to back, the the Rams forward unable to convert. Tom Hadler (GK) left his goal to join the attack in the closing minutes and caused the Chichester backline problems as the corners flew in but the Rams where still unable to score.
As the final whistle blew there was a sense of injustice as the Rams have had such a good season and had over 20 points ahead of their opponents in the game. The result didn’t reflect the game at all and Ben Smith manager of Ramsgate FC let his opinions on the game clear with and interview with Kent Online, please see below for the full article.
*All photos supplied by Aaron Westgate Photography
