Matt Longhurst believes it’s too early to say whether Ramsgate are genuine title contenders.

Rams went second in Isthmian South East after beating promotion rivals Herne Bay 2-0 at Southwood on Saturday.

They are six points behind leaders Hastings, with a game in hand, and visit VCD this weekend.

Boss Longhurst knows his youngsters have a chance but they’re in the mix with some experienced sides.

“It sounds cliched but we’re taking one game at a time,” said Longhurst. “We’re very, very young.

"Obviously people are starting to get excited and there’s a buzz around the club but we’ve got to go to VCD on Saturday, then we’ve got Burgess Hill, who are absolutely flying, and Haywards Heath, who have that bounce from a new boss and are in the top five anyway.

“Ask me after the next three games and we’ll have a much clearer idea of where we're at.

“Have we got the same chance as everybody else?

“Probably, because if you keep getting results and are second in the league, you have to be in with a chance, but there’s such a long way to go and we’re in there with some experienced sides who have been together a long time.”

Lee Prescott scored direct from a corner and Josh Ajayi added the second as Rams completed the double over Bay.

“We were very good on Saturday,” said Longhurst. “Without the ball we were excellent, we based our game on winning the ball back as quickly as we can, and we’ve got players that can score goals.

“That’s six points we’ve taken off Herne Bay and they’re a good side - they will be disappointed if they don’t win the league with the players they’ve got.”

Ajayi’s goal was his first since interest from Tottenham and Stevenage and he looks set to stay at Ramsgate for the rest of the season, having previously been expected to leave.

“He’s not quite happy with some of the stuff that’s on the table,” said Longhurst.

“At the moment he’s focused on playing for us, he’s the top scorer in the league and if he gets to 30 goals in the 13 games we’ve got left, clubs will be kicking down the door to sign him.

“After all the attention it was good to see him enjoy himself for the first time in two or three weeks.”

The day was also a triumph in the stands, with a crowd of 1,650 at Southwood.

It’s a far cry from the days when Ramsgate struggled to get more than a few hundred, even in their glory years of back-to-back promotions under Jim Ward.

“It’s brilliant,” said Longhurst. “It just shows how far we’ve come.

"The engagement with youth is the key to the success we’re getting. When me and James (Lawson, chairman) first sat down we wanted to create a level of aspiration in the area.

“We’re not talking the Willy Wonka ticket of the Premier League but to aspire to play for Ramsgate in front of 1,000 fans, because that is something that’s achievable.

“Once these kids see that, that’s why they keep coming.

“They believe they can achieve that and they want to play for Ramsgate. It’s taken months and months of driving by myself and the media team and we can’t take our foot off the gas.

“We’re in a position now where people are starting to copy our ideas, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

“We had a skills school before the game on Saturday with Will Hoare, Josh Ajayi and Denzelle Olopade playing against the kids and we did a giveaway based on that.

“We had 300 matchday posters produced with players’ names on the back for autographs and the kids all waited around to get stuff signed.”