Back in club management as the new boss at Ramsgate, Steve Lovell will be joined by his son in the home dug-out at Southwood and is aiming for the play-offs.
Whereas in the past it was the Ward brothers – Jim and Danny – who enjoyed success at the club, the name at Southwood now is most definitely Lovell as the former Gillingham boss will have his son Mark – who played for the club under the Ward brothers – alongside him as assistant manager and coach.
“He’s got great knowledge of the game and local football – he’s played for a number of clubs – he’s got his coaching badges now, so for me, it was a no brainer really for me to come down. He had a really good spell playing for the club and we’re looking forward to the last four games of the season to maintain their Play Off position, putting our stamp on what we want to happen.”
“There won’t be much change as they’ve done well so far – they’re top five in the division already and it’s a matter of keeping us there now!”
Reflecting on his own appointment, Lovell “senior” said, “it was nice to get a phone call to take the job on. It’s going to be enjoyable and it’s certain to be exciting and hopefully we can get the job done.”
“You could say that we’re on a hiding to nothing, but we just want to finish the job off – the boys have done well all season to get into this position.”
“Speaking to the Chairman (James Lawson), I don’t think many at the Club expected to be in this position and few expected to get into the Play Offs.”
“But the way the season has gone, and the way the players have performed, they’ve done very well. It’s a good young side – we just want to finish things off now and things don’t fall away. They’ve lost the last four games, but we’ve got to get back on track and finish the job!”
“The Club is a great Community club, and that’s what I liked about it when I spoke to the Chairman. The hard work that he’s done at the football club – and the hard work that he continues to do – is amazing!”
“He’s very much a community man – a people’s man – who wants good things for the community, for everybody and not just football supporters!”
“He’s got a vision on what he wants to do and a project that he wants to finish which involves football, and I can see the really good prospects that could come from using the game as a vehicle.”
One player who will need no introduction to the new boss is central defender Jamie Coyle. “I’ve known him a long time,” Lovell said.
“He’s still playing and playing well – his experience will be vital to us, and I’ll certainly be talking to him about the Club and the players. We’ve had a couple of training sessions this week ready for the game on Saturday and hopefully we’ll snap the losing streak with three points!”
Steve and Mark’s first game in charge is on Saturday against a Haywards Heath side who arrive in Thanet a place and three points ahead of the Rams, but Lovell’s new side would leapfrog the Sussex side on goal difference with the win.
The new boss conceded, “yes, it’s a big game, but we’ve got four games left and it might mean that we possibly only need to win two of them to get into the Play Offs.”
“It’ll all depend on the teams behind us, but we can’t worry about that – it’s down to us to go out and put on the performance on Saturday against one of our nearest rivals.”
“And if we win, we go above them and hopefully move further away from Herne Bay (who are currently a point behind Ramsgate). It’s a big game but it’s not the be all and end all – it’s part of the run we have to have to get into the Play Offs.”