Herne Bay should have been out of sight even before they opened the scoring. We really have to learn from this sickening defeat.

We cannot keep dominating the play, creating chance after chance, and not put them away and we most certainly must not come off the gas as soon as we do score, allowing the opposition to get back in the game.

We were so dominant, particularly in the second half, forcing Ramsgate to defend in numbers and limiting their attacks to sporadic forays to the edge of our box.

Ramsgate had a couple of early chances in the opening 10 minutes; the best coming from Alfie Paxman, forcing Ben Hunter to save with his foot. After this Bay settled into the game; Bradley Schafer was causing real problems down the right flank with some fabulous runs.

On the quarter hour Nassim Dukali hits a shot just wide of the upright after Tyler Myers had brought the ball out from our penalty area, passed to Tom Carlton who slid a beautiful pass through the back line which Schafer raced onto before crossing to Dukali on the left flank. The game ebbed and flowed at both ends but only Luke Watkins in the Rams goal was called upon to produce a save of any note.

The second half started much the same as the first with Ramsgate threatening early on but from the 50th minute it was all one way traffic. Dukali puts Jake Embery through but Watkins produced the first of a number a very good saves. The best tipping a close range Dukali shot over the bar.

For the next 20 minutes it was a constant onslaught with the rams forced into frantic clearances, shot blocking, and a couple of goal line clearances and that with Watkins in fine form Bay just could not break the deadlock. With this constant pressure the goal had to come and it did in the 73rd minute. Dukali controlled a cross field pass and ran at the defence, cutting in, ghosting around the defenders before scuffing a shot wide of Watkins who was wrong footed by Dukali ‘s change of shot direction.

Watkins was forced into another great save from Carlton volley but then the game changed.

A free kick midway in Bay’s half was not cleared by the defence, the ball to fell to Rory Smith 3 yards out and he made no mistake drilling the ball past Hunter. Two minutes later, ex-Bay player Billy Lewins came off the bench and within a minute smashed home the winning goal.

A poor clearance from Hunter went straight to Danny Lawrence who immediately threaded the ball through to Lewins who rounded Hunter to place his shot into the empty net.

The home supporters, players and management alike celebrated wildly, and why not, as they had stolen 3 points from a devastated Herne Bay.

Saturday 2nd December 2017

Bostik League Division One South

Ramsgate 2 – 1 Herne Bay

Att: 216

(Goals: Nassim Dukali)
Herne Bay: Ben Hunter, Danny Leonard, Mohamed Kamara, Bradley Schafer, Jono Richardson, Tyler Myers, Connor Wilkins, Tom Carlton, Jake Embery, Junior Aikhionbare, Nassim Dukali

Subs Used: Jack Steventon (Myers 50)

Subs not used: Joss Wissen, Danny Rumbol, Raphe Brown, Connor Cox

Man of the Match: Bradley Schafer

Report by John Bathurst