By Ollie Collins

Whitstable Town manager Lloyd Blackman called his side’s performance against Ramsgate on Saturday one of the worst of the season.

The Oystermen drew 1-1 at home to the struggling Rams, who sit 19th in Isthmian South East.

Blackman, a former Ramsgate boss, said: “Poor performances seem to be a regular occurrence against Ramsgate for us this season.

“We failed to get to our own high standards just like when we lost to them in the Velocity Trophy.

“I think there were some key factors that played a part because the pitch wasn’t in great condition and we had a really tough game that we lost on Tuesday to Cray Valley.

“We looked a bit physically and mentally tired and Ramsgate exploited that.

“The formbook goes out the window when there’s a Kent derby and Ramsgate caused us problems in the first half.

“We didn’t get tight, we were a yard off where we’ve been this season and were unable to create the opportunities that we normally do.

“However that’s no discredit to the players because they worked hard, it’s just their work wasn’t as effective as it could have been.”

Tom Chapman opened the scoring for the away side after 16 minutes before Harry Stannard drew the Oystermen level with an expertly taken free-kick four minutes into the second half.

“It was an individual piece of brilliance from Harry, he has serious quality and has kept us in games this year along with Aaron Millbank,” added Blackman.

“It was a hard-earned point but we were lacking quality as a team.

“Having a crowd of over 500 made for a great atmosphere it’s just a shame we couldn’t treat them to a good performance.”

Whitstable are 10th in Isthmian South East and face Phoenix Sports who are one place below them on Saturday.

Blackman said: “They’re playing well so it’s going to be a difficult test.

“We’re still in the hunt for the play-offs but have got to keep picking up points.

“We’ve got to put the last two games behind us and make sure we get back to the standard of the last six weeks.”

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