Ramsgate’s commitment to attack paid off as they moved five points clear in Isthmian South East.

Rams won 3-1 at promotion rivals Whitehawk, who had conceded just eight goals in 14 games before Saturday.

Steve Lovell set his side up to have a go and they ran out deserved winners, with Kane Rowland scoring twice for the second week running and Ashley Miller also on target.

“We went there with a plan to take the game to them and that’s what we did,” said Lovell, who's been named manager-of-the-month for November.

“They’re a good side but we put them under pressure and got the first goal.

“They equalised against the run of play in the second half and then I changed to Plan B and went 4-4-2 because I felt we could get at them in wide areas and down the sides.

“We got the second goal through that with a ball in between the centre-back and the full-back that Ash Miller has run on to and lobbed the keeper.

“Ten minutes later it’s 3-1 and then it’s a matter of keeping your shape and getting behind the ball to stop them creating.

“Whitehawk kept going but they never really created anything.

“I think Josh Bexon had one save to make in the second half. Apart from that we defended really well.

“It was a good win. I was really pleased with the boys.”

It was a second successive victory over fellow promotion contenders, having beaten Ashford 3-2 last weekend.

Lovell has been around too long to get carried away with a five-point lead but Rams, who visit sixth-placed Beckenham this Saturday (3pm), are in good shape.

He said: “I looked at it before we played Ashford and we had a run of six games coming up against good sides where you say to yourself, ‘If we pick up three wins and a draw out of those six, it’s a really good month’.

“We’ve won two straight away, so it’s a good start, but now we have to go to Beckenham and try to get something there.

“It’s nice to be top but there’s no point beating Ashford and Whitehawk and getting nothing from the next game.

“That’s the mentality of the boys. There’s going to be games we’ll lose, of course, but if we can win more than we lose we’ll have half a chance of doing well this season.”

Ramsgate handed a debut to midfielder Nathan Wood, who’s joined on dual-registration from National South Tonbridge.

The ex-Woking man started the season at Faversham.

“I’ve been following him for quite a while,” said Lovell. “I like the way he plays, he’s got good energy and he’s a good lad.

"I was disappointed we missed out on him when he went to Tonbridge but pleased for him to be playing at that level.

“I kept on to Jay (Saunders, Tonbridge boss) that if he wasn’t in the team there that we’d have him and Jay was great.

“He let us talk to him and Nathan was more than happy to come.

“Whitehawk wasn’t the best place for him to start, with the pitch the way it is, but when you see players in an environment like that you find out about their character and his character was fantastic.

“I’d like to think Jay will take him back eventually and play him in the first team because that will mean he’s been brilliant for us.

"We’re helping him and he’s helping us. It can only be positive."