By Darius Sarrafan
Ramsgate’s fine form continued as they convincingly brushed aside third place Brentwood Town.
Two quick-fire goals either side of half time gave the Rams clear daylight, with Alfie Paxman slotting home a penalty and Solomon Ogunwomoju tapping home from close range.
Mitchell May grabbed another goal off the bench to make the points safe in second-half stoppage time, and in reality the home side were good value for all three points.
Manager Lee Martin made four changes from the side that dramatically earns a share of the spoils at Cray last week, with Malachi Napa, Eze Ebuzoeme, Harry Webster and Kwecu Lucan replacing Benny Bioletti, Liam Nash, Greg Cundle and the injured Logan Dobbs.
It was another fast start for the Rams, with new signing Napa stinging the palms of Brentwood goalkeeper Aidan Prall early on. Alfie Paxman put a great chance wide from 12 yards in the seventh minute after some pinball on the edge of the box.
Rams goalkeeper Dillon Addai had to be alert to save low to his left after Alejandro Machado shot low from the left side of the box five minutes later. The visitors hit the bar on the half hour after a cross-cum-shot from Kymani Thomas clipped the top of the goal frame.
Harry Webster shot straight at Prall from twenty yards as the Rams started to assert themselves on proceedings, and Billy Munday went close shortly after as his header from fifteen yards drifted just wide.
Munday was then fouled in the box on the stroke of halftime, and Paxman confidently sent Prall the wrong way to open the scoring – with the referee blowing for half time shortly after.
Ogunwomoju tapped home Paxman’s deflected cross from close range to make it 2-0 in the first minute of the second half. Ramsgate have made a habit of starting halves fast under Lee Martin – and this was once again the case as Brentwood had no answer for another rapid opening.
Louie Johnson curled a free kick just wide for the visitors on 52 minutes, before Napa just couldn’t get a clean shot on goal following great work by Ogunwomoju on the left wing.
Addai was called into action to save well from Thomas ten minutes from time, before May pounced onto a poor back pass to round Prall and tap into the empty net to make it 3-0 in the second minute of injury time.
It was another comprehensive performance from the Rams – and their push for the playoffs very much remains on. Attention now focuses on the league cup, with a semi-final at home to Hashtag United on Tuesday under the lights at the WW Martin Community Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:45pm.
Ramsgate: Addai, Webster (Cundle), Brown, Gayle, Clifford, Munday, Ebuzoeme, Napa (Nash), Ogunwomoju (Bioletti), Lucan (May). Sub: Buckingham.
Star man: Tom Clifford.
