Joe Taylor likes the way things are going at Ramsgate after a turbulent pre-season.

Skipper Taylor scored four times at the weekend, with Tushaun Walters also on target, as Rams beat Southall 5-0 at Southwood in the FA Cup preliminary round.

Their reward is a Kent derby at home to Isthmian Premier Folkestone on August 31.

The cup win followed a 1-0 success at AFC Croydon on the opening day of the Isthmian South East season.

It seems Ramsgate are on track after a difficult summer which saw manager Ben Smith leave only to return when successor Tony Russell resigned after just 25 days.

Rams maybe aren’t considered the overwhelming favourites of this time a year ago after all the upheaval but they’re looking strong.

They host fellow fancied side Sittingbourne on Saturday and visit league new boys Deal on Bank Holiday Monday (both 3pm).

“After a bit of a turbulent pre-season we’ve started really nicely and the squad’s taking good shape,” said Taylor.

“Things are looking very positive and I’m scoring goals.

“I can see why clubs maybe weren’t talking about us but I look at the players we kept from last season, Tom Hadler, Alfie Paxman, TJ Jadama, Benny Bioletti, myself, and others I’ve probably not mentioned.

“And then you look at the quality we’ve brought in, the likes of Jay Leader, who I won this league with at Cray Wanderers, Roarie Deacon, Joe Ellul coming back, Lewis Gard, and I think the players we’ve got are more than capable of having a go in the league.

“I don’t want to talk us up too much because there are probably stronger squads out there at the moment maybe than us but we’re still working on that and we have got a really good core base of players.

“We’re quietly confident and it’s nice that not everyone’s talking about us but I still think I’d rather be in our camp than anyone else’s camp in this league.

“We are definitely getting there and the first two results are only going to help build that togetherness we need as a fairly new squad.

“All of a sudden we’ve gone from being two or three weeks behind where we expected, to maybe a little bit ahead of where we expected to be at this point now.

“Those two wins have accelerated that but there’s all of a sudden a nice little feel around the place.”

Taylor says he and his Rams team-mates consider Smith to be the manager although he still carries an interim tag after stepping in to help the club following Russell’s shock departure.

Striker Taylor enjoyed the best season of his career under Smith, scoring 53 goals, having previously flourished under Russell at Cray Wanderers and Lewes.

“As far as us players are aware he’s still interim manager but we’ve taken it as if he’s the permanent manager and I think everyone at the club is treating it as if he’s the permanent manager,” said Taylor.

“I think every decision has been made with the best interests of the club at heart.

“I can’t knock the chairman (James Lawson) for the decisions he’s made.

“I would have loved to have worked with Tony again, I’ve loved working with him in the past, but I too am really happy that Ben Smith is back.

“I get on really well with him and he brings the best out in me, as was on display last season with the numbers I hit.

“We’ve worked really hard in training on how to get the ball into me with the new players we have and we saw a lot of that on Saturday. That’s all down to Ben.”

The Sittingbourne and Deal games will be further tests of Ramsgate’s new-look squad.

The Brickies have also won their opening two games, thrashing Broadbridge 5-0 in the league and winning 4-2 at Farnham in the FA Cup.

“There’s a lot of good sides in this league but I think Sittingbourne are going to be right up there at the end of the season,” said Taylor.

“They’ve got a good manager in Ryan Maxwell and I really like their young forward, Mitchell May.

“He looks like he’s going to be a player and he’s scored goals already. We’re going to have to watch out for him.

“They’ve got a really good squad. It’s two different styles and it made for two good games last year where we beat them at their place and drew at ours.

“I’m looking forward to the game, the way we’re playing and they’ve had two really good wins as well. It’s an early-season showdown.”