Ramsgate
www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk
The Rams
01843 591662

Formed: 1945

Ground Address: Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent. CT11 0AN

Route:

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History:

The earliest teams included Ramsgate Town from about 1886, Ramsgate Rovers and Ramsgate St George. Team photos of Ramsgate Town, the principal local team, exist from 1898. At this time matches were being played on a 'friendly' basis or in the East Kent League at a number of grounds around the town, including Southwood. In 1919 Henry Weigall JP and Lady Rose Weigall, of Southwood House, generously obtained the Southwood ground for Ramsgate Town, by then known simply as Ramsgate. In their first season there they finished third in the league and reached the Kent Senior Cup final, but lost 1-0 to Northfleet at Maidstone before a crowd of 10,000 people. Ramsgate Grenville had also been a strong local side at this time, but had to disband as they couldn't find a ground, with many of their players joining Ramsgate's second team. In 1924 Ramsgate Town folded and Ramsgate Glenville, who had reformed the season before, moved to Southwood from nearby Warre Recreation Ground until the war brought an end to football in the area.

Ramsgate Glenville did not reform after the Second World War and Southwood was taken over by the current Club in 1945, then called Ramsgate Athletic, and the pitch was turned through 90 degrees. The Club played within the Kent League until it was disbanded in 1959 and, having been runners-up in the Kent Senior Shield in 1946/47 and finalists in the Kent Senior Cup in 1947/48, won their first League and Cup double in 1948/49, the League Cup being won at Southwood in front of 4,000 spectators, and were again runners-up in the Kent Senior Shield in 1949/50.? In a golden period from 1954 to 1957 the Club won the Kent Intermediate Cup (1954/55) and back-to-back League Championships (1955/56 & 1956/57), with a new attendance record being set in 1955/56 when 5,200 spectators watched the local derby against Margate. They also made Club history when they reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup for the first time in November 1955, eventually beaten away 5-3 by Watford, a record that stood for 50 years.

In 1958/59 the Club also started playing in the Thames & Medway Combination League, winning the Eastern Division that season but finishing runners-up to Sittingbourne in the Champions' Cup Final. With the demise of the KCFA Kent League in 1959, the Club joined the Southern League, as well as continuing in the Thames & Medway Combination League. In November 1959 the Rams were visited by Everton FC of the Football League First Division to mark the official illumination of the newly installed floodlights - the 'Toffees' winning 7-1. Having again won the Eastern Division of the Combination in the 1959/1960 season, the Club went on to beat Gravesend & Northfleet in the Combination Champions Cup Final. Whilst in the Southern League the Club won the Kent Senior Shield and the Combination Eastern Division in 1960/61 (again finishing runners-up to Sittingbourne in the Combination Champions Cup Final), and the Kent Senior Cup in 1963/64. By the 1960s both ends of the ground had covered terracing, the covered standing accommodation consisting of corrugated iron sheet cladding on a framework of scaffold poles. In 1967/68 the Club again won the Kent Senior Shield and were runners-up in the Southern League Cup. In 1971/72 they again finished runners-up and were promoted to the Premier Division. In 1972 the Club changed its name to Ramsgate but after a decline in fortunes the Club resigned from League in 1976, the 1st team taking the Reserves' place in the Kent League.

After rejoining the Kent League the Club had many ups and downs. The best year for the Club for some time was the 1988/89 season when they won the Kent Senior Trophy for the second consecutive year and were runners up in the Kent League Cup, whilst the youth teams were League and Kent Youth Cup winners. A short barren period followed, ending in 1992/93 when the Club began a record three-year League Cup winning run; although during this same period the league performance was not as good. League form did improve however, and in 1996/97 the Club finished its fixtures several weeks before most teams and at that point were well clear in the championship, only to finish runners up at the final reckoning. The following season saw the Club win the Kent League Charity Shield, and then in 1998/99 the Club had one of its finest years, clinching the Kent Premier League championship on the last day of the season, winning the Kent Senior Trophy after a penalty shoot out, and reaching the semi finals of the Kent League Cup. The Club's Under 18 side replicated this 'double-winning' achievement by winning the Kent Youth League as well as the Kent Youth Cup. In 1999/2000 the Club only finished fifth in the League, but despatched both Dartford and Folkestone Invicta from higher leagues in the FA Cup (to win the 'match of the round' award) and also reached the last eight of the FA Vase (only to go out to a late extra time goal against eventual finalists Newcastle Town).? The Club's Under 18s again reached the Kent County Cup Final, but this time ended as runners up. In 2000/2001 the Club again finished fifth in the League, but ended the season by winning the Kent Premier League Cup against Greenwich Borough at Folkestone.

In 2001/2002 the Club embarked on a new policy of using local players only and developing the Club's youth football. As part of this policy the Club entered a team in each of the four age categories of the Kent Youth League, as well as two senior sides in the Kent Football League. The Club finished a credible 6th in the League, bearing in mind the relative inexperience of the young squad at that level, and had despatched AFC Newbury from the FA Cup before falling to Andover. The Reserves finished 2nd in the Kent League First Division to Dover Athletic and the Under 18s side joined the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham by winning the John Ullmann Cup. The policy of concentrating on local players continued in 2002/2003, with the First Team finishing 5th in the Kent League Premier Division, having appeared live on BBC TV in the opening game of the FA Cup at Southwood. The Reserves also finished 5th, having led the Kent League First Division for the majority of the season. The Under 18s had a more successful season, reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Youth Cup, losing a seven-goal thriller 3-4 to Leyton Orient after extra-time, and winning the Kent Youth League.

The 2004/2005 season saw the Club capitalise on the promise of its successful youth policy being coupled with the return of experienced manager Jim Ward, and a tough pre-season programme had the Rams playing (and defeating) 4 sides from higher leagues, including old adversaries Margate. In competitive football the Rams made reasonable progress in the FA Cup, despatching Kingstonian from 2 leagues above before falling in the 2nd half to Dulwich Hamlet (only 1 league higher), whilst in the FA Vase they again reached the 3rd Round Proper. The best form was saved for the domestic season however, where the Rams again did the double, this time winning the Kent League Premier Division Cup as well as the Kent League Championship by a clear margin, thereby gaining promotion to Ryman Isthmian League Division 1. Summer 2005 saw the Rams start the season with two pieces of silverware, beating Herne Bay in the Kent League Challenge Shield and Margate in the Kent Messenger Challenge Cup. The season continued with the Club reaching the 1st Round Proper of the FA Cup, the only Step 4 club in the country to do so that year as well as equalling the Club record set 50 years earlier, and winning Ryman League Division 1 at the first attempt, thereby securing promotion to the Ryman Premier League for 2006/2007. For most of their 1st season in the Premier League the Rams were settled near the top of the table in the 'play-off positions' and spent several weeks in 2nd place. However the toll on the squad was noticeable and injuries saw their form dip in the last weeks of the campaign, although they remained a creditable 9th, and were not relegated as some pundits had predicted (which also meant a new record, as the Club had only managed to stay in the Southern League Premier for a single season back in 1972/1973). The Reserves managed to collect some silverware however, winning the Eastern Division of the Kent League Floodlight Trophy, whilst the Under 18s made it to the 1st Round Proper of the FA Youth Cup, the Under 16s finished League runners-up, and the Under 13s won the League Cup.

2007/08 saw the Rams set new club records again, winning the Isthmian League Cup and also reaching the Premier Division play-offs. Other youth successes were the Under 13s reaching the final of the Kent FA Cup, and the Under 14s finishing as runners-up in the League.