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A long, painful bus ride through traffic, a delayed kick-off, and a whole lot of defending—Three Bridges may be thankful they don’t have to make this trip again next season, as Ramsgate’s relentless march towards Isthmian promotion to the Premier division continued with a 5-1 victory that left the visitors with more than just the memory of a long day on the M25.

From the start, Ramsgate looked every bit the league leaders, backed by a roaring crowd of 1,725 fans at Southwood Stadium. Despite that, the visitors were far from overwhelmed and stood firm, at least for a while.

Then, in the 20th minute, the unthinkable happened. Hayden Neathey—already playing a blinder of a match—launched a perfectly placed 60-yard ball that would have made the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold envious. The ball sailed through the air like a guided missile, finding Dan Ferreira in space. Ferreira kept his cool, squared it for Reece Hallard, and the forward made no mistake in front of an open net. It was 1-0 to Three Bridges, a lead they didn’t see coming and, sadly, didn’t keep for long.

Eleven minutes later, Ramsgate’s Lee Martin struck a volley from outside the box that was as beautiful as it was unstoppable. The Rams were level, and the game was back on track, as the hosts had clearly no intention of making things easy. Just before half-time, it got worse for Bridges. A perfectly executed corner from Roarie Deacon was met by Aaron Barnes at the edge of the six-yard box, and the Rams took a 2-1 lead into the break.

Reece Hallard Continued his Goalscoring Run

Bridges didn’t come out of the second half quietly, though. They started strong, dominating possession early on and nearly equalising after a wonderful run by young George Falzon. He breezed through Ramsgate’s defence like a hot knife through butter, only to be denied by an inch-perfect last-ditch tackle from none other than Barnes.

With the game at a crucial juncture, it was always likely that the next goal would be the decider. Sure enough, it was Joe Taylor—who else?—who put the game beyond reach with a calm finish from the edge of the box to make it 3-1. Not even three minutes later, Benny Bioletti, who had been a constant thorn in Bridges’ side, added a fourth. A well-deserved goal for Benny, whose performance left both the home and away fans alike in awe.

But the match wasn’t over yet. In the 91st minute, there was a moment of comic relief as Lee Martin, already booked for time-wasting 15 minutes earlier, found himself once again attempting to slow the game down during a Ramsgate corner.

With little choice, the referee showed him a second yellow for time-wasting—possibly the most baffling of all yellow cards, given his side was 4-1 up and in no danger of losing. Unceremoniously sent off, Martin was likely left wondering if those extra seconds of time-wasting were worth missing the crucial match against Hythe Town next week, which could seal the title for the Rams.

And then, to put the final nail in the coffin, Joe Elull scored from another Ramsgate corner to complete the 5-1 scoreline.

Despite the heavy defeat, Three Bridges showed plenty of character throughout the match. They were clapped off the pitch by their away fans, who appreciated the effort from a young side playing against a team that, frankly, looked like they were already in the Isthmian Premier. The scoreline didn’t reflect the fight Bridges showed, but they’ll take the experience into their remaining games with a certain pride.

With just three matches left in the season, Three Bridges now face a double-header over the bank holiday weekend—hosting Herne Bay on Saturday before a short trip to Burgess Hill on Monday. Here’s hoping the journey back is a little shorter next time!

Bridges Man of the Match: Hayden Neathey

Referee: Mr Simon Cutler

Venue: Southwood Stadium

Match Report by Robert Nastase

Bridges no match for 5-star Ramsgate