Ramsgate 3 v 3 Hythe Town

Bank Holiday Monday 27th December 2021, Kick-off 15.00
Isthmian League South East Division
Southwood Stadium, Ramsgate
Admission: Free (usually £10.00)
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 622

I had originally planned to take in a double of revisits within Sussex today. But instead of Covid threatening to disrupt plans, it was the much more traditional threat of waterlogged pitches that would wreak havoc today. And with little surviving in Sussex, rain forecast to continue throughout the day and  my not wanting to take any chances of a blank game day with the distinct possibility that football behind closed doors may be ordered any day now, I headed to the east coast of Kent, with the safety of a plastic pitch, and the lure of free entry sealed the deal for my first visit to the Southwood Stadium since 2010.

The Southwood Stadium is about a 15 minute walk from Ramsgate train station, and entrance is gained at the end of a short lane, through some gates, past the clubhouse and changing rooms on either side, with the turnstile block located in one corner of the ground. With today being free admission, entry was gained through an open gate. The club have been hosting a Winter Wonderland since December 19th , until today, and a few funfair stalls for this were located just outside the ground in the car park, and plenty of Christmas trees decorated with lights were positioned around the entrance and inside the ground, adding some nice colour to the ground. It is pleasing to see that, apart from the plastic pitch and a new perimeter fence along one length, not much has changed around the ground, so it still has a lot of old school character about the place. Behind both ends, there are banks of terrace steps, set some way back from the pitchside railing, and with the top half of the terraces immediately behind the goals having cover. The back wall of the stand closest to the entrance has some nice club logos and posters on it, and between the terrace and the pitchside railing, an "ice" rink has been temporarily installed as part of the Winter Wonderland. Along one of the lengths, there is an old fashioned stand, dating from 1956 according to a plaque, with five rows of seating inside. Adjacent is a tea hut selling hot and cold food and drink, whilst beyond a small bank of open terracing, in the corner, there is a portakabin type building housing the bar, and with full windows along the front, presumably makes for an excellent indoor place to watch the game from. Ramsgate do issue a 44 page programme printed in colour, and is good value at £2, with plenty of interesting reading material to digest.

Ramsgate are having a decent season, coming into this game in fifth place, following ten wins and four draws from their 18 league games so far, just four points adrift of the top two. Hythe were down in 14th place in the table, following six wins and three draws from their 18 league games, but it is interesting to note that they have had much more success on the road so far this season, with five of their wins coming away from home, and six of their nine defeats coming at home. When the two clubs met in the reverse fixture in late August, Ramsgate won 0-3.

On a mild but very overcast afternoon, with occasional drizzle falling particularly in the first half, this was as entertaining as the final score would suggest. The visitors started well and on the front foot, but it was Ramsgate who took the lead, in the 21st minute, when Josh Ajayi turned well before threading the ball forward for Oliver Bate to run onto and eventually dinking the ball over the advancing keeper and into the net. But their lead was to only last four minutes, as a wonderful strike from outside the penalty area by Charlie Webster saw the ball fly past the outstretched dive by the keeper and into the net. Ramsgate went back in front on 34 minutes,  following a surging run down the left by Callum Peck, and he drilled the ball low across goal from the left, for Ajayi to tap home from close range. The Hythe keeper was then forced into a couple of very good blocks, before his side levelled the scores once more, on 42 minutes, when a cross from the left byline took a big deflection skywards, a defender could only half clear the ball, and Jordan Sarfo struck the ball home. 

So the game was level at the break, and after both side had decent chances to take the lead, Ramsgate were awarded a penalty on 75 minutes for a lunging, mistimed tackle. Ajayi struck the ball high into the net to give his side the lead for the third time in the match. Yet also for the third time, Hythe equalised, on 83 minutes, with a very good goal by Riley Ashford, lashing the ball across the keeper and inside the far post. There wasn't much threat of a winning goal in the remaining minutes, and while Ramsgate will feel disappointed at not winning a game they led on three occasions, Hythe played well, belying their lowly status in the table, and a draw was probably the right result overall.