Ramsgate have a mind-reader in their ranks in midfielder Lewis Gard.
The former Tonbridge man provided the entertainment before Rams’ FA Cup third qualifying round tie at Brackley on Saturday.
With the squad enjoying an overnight stay, Gard’s magic tricks were a talking point at the hotel, with victims including Lee Martin.
The result didn’t go Ramsgate’s way, despite an excellent performance, as three late goals saw them beaten 4-1 by their National League North opponents.
But the weekend was also about a new squad spending time together and getting to know each other.
“From team quizzes to Gardy’s magic tricks, it was a good trip and ticked all the boxes in terms of what we wanted,” said manager Ben Smith.
“The only thing that didn’t go for us was the result we wanted but, long-term, watching us on Saturday was quite exciting.
“Gardy’s got some magic tricks up his sleeve - he reads people’s minds.
“He had a lot of people going for it, that’s for sure.
“That was quite a funny one, seeing him reading Lee Martin’s mind.
“He asks three different questions and he reads your mind to guess the answers.
“Obviously there’s a trick to it, rather than it being magic, but the boys just couldn’t believe he had the same answers.
“Once Lee got it, he couldn’t believe he fell for it.
“He read my mind, he did quite a few of the boys.”
Ramsgate gave a good account of themselves at Brackley, where Joe Taylor cancelled out Danny Newton’s opener.
It remained 1-1 until the 84th minute when Scott Pollock struck, and further goals followed from Newton and Shane Byrne as Rams chased the game.
“It was quite a bizarre game, to be honest,” said Smith.
“We looked really comfortable, we controlled the game in terms of possession, which you don’t
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Joe Taylor
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Lee Martin