Ben Smith is concerned only about Ramsgate as they bid to win the Isthmian South East title.

Boss Smith’s one-game-at-a-time mantra is serving the Rams well as they try to land the club’s first league championship in 19 years.

Their 1-0 win at Sheppey on Saturday was their ninth successive victory and moved them on to 80 points from just 29 games, six clear of Sittingbourne, who were held to a goalless draw by Beckenham.

Smith takes his side to Broadbridge Heath tonight looking to continue the relentless form that’s seen them drop just seven points so far this season.

He believes Ramsgate may have got caught up in worrying too much about Cray Valley’s results last year and they ended up being pipped by the Millers.

They don’t want to make the same mistake again.

“I’m like a broken record with it but it’s one game at a time,” said Smith.

“It’s important we don’t get carried away.

“At this stage of the season every game is tough so we don’t overlook anyone.

“We just play what’s in front of us and go from there.

“It’s one thing saying that, it’s another doing it, and you can get caught up with what’s going on elsewhere.

“You’ve just got to have that tunnel vision and worry about yourselves.

“It’s just about getting over that line. It’s not really about performances right now.

“You want performances, of course you do, but if you can get three points, that’s more important.

“There’s no point talking about nerves because it’s just one game of football at a time and if, after these next 13 games, we’ve been good enough then we’ll do it.

“If we haven’t then we have to find another way.

“But you also have to say the quality of the other sides is right up there because the league should be pretty much done by now and it’s not, so you have to give a lot of credit to the people chasing us down.

“What we’re doing at the minute is making sure the other teams have to be perfect.

“If we can keep doing that, it puts pressure on other teams, not us.”

Sittingbourne’s 0-0 draw with Beckenham was the first time they have dropped points at home after 14 successive league wins at Woodstock this season.

That shows how intense the competition is but Ramsgate can’t afford to let rivals’ results come into their thinking.

“We had that last year, coming off and Cray Valley had won again, but maybe we were looking at their results too much,” said Smith.

“We hear things from the supporters as we’re coming off about other teams, Saturday being a prime example.

“But, as I’ve said to the players and to anyone that tells me a result, it means nothing to us.

“What they do with their games is on them. We worry about ourselves and see where that takes us.

“The supporters are playing their part, it’s just important no one gets carried away.

“We’ve had too many false dawns to get carried away.”

“We’re just enjoying the season.”

Smith praised Jefferson Aibangbee after the forward marked his first Ramsgate start with the winner at Sheppey.

The former Sevenoaks man managed to sweep the ball home while grounded following a goalmouth scramble.

“I’m really pleased for Jefferson,” said Smith.

“It’s not easy for a new player to come into our team.

“We play a particular way, in possession and out of possession, there’s specific jobs that people have to do.

“There’s an awful lot of adapting players need to do.

“Sevenoaks don’t play too dissimilar to us, so I thought it would be quicker for Jefferson to adapt than someone coming from a completely different way of playing.

“But he’ll be the first to say it is different and we’re expecting different things of him, so it’s not just an overnight thing where he can be told what to do and he’s then doing it.

“It’s got to come naturally and that takes time.

“The reason I brought him in is because he’s very different to what we’ve got.

“He’s a bit of a wildcard in that sense.

“I thought at times we’d have games where it’s tight, you need something different to win a game and that’s what he can do.

“The goal on Saturday looks scrappy, it is scrappy, but it’s also a very difficult finish, to be on the floor and get enough power.

“That’s a better goal than people might give him credit for.”

Ramsgate host East Grinstead at Southwood this Saturday (3pm).