A World Tour of Kent- Part Five: Ramsgate

Our arrival at the Southwood Stadium found the place a hive of activity. Car Park resurfacing, roof repairs, and a collection of men building what at first glance appeared to be a cage for a rather angry lion. We then found out that the cage was actually for a collection of skilled street footballers, as it was something called a Panna Arena.

The London Panna champion will be demonstrating his art inside it before the FA Cup match against Chipstead on Saturday.

Pre-season has seen the Rams lose narrowly at Pitching In Isthmian Premier Kingstonian, draw at AFC Uckfield Town, lose three-one against Sheppey United, lose three-two at Margate, wallop both Lordswood and K Sports four-nil, defeat Folkestone Invicta two-one, and fall to a narrow three-two defeat at Carshalton Athletic. That seems to be a deliberate strategy to test the side against higher-ranked teams prior to the big kick off, and we'll soon see whether it pays off- but there is optimism amongst the supporters as we head towards the Pitching In Isthmian South East season.