Captain Joe Taylor says Ramsgate are ahead of schedule after recovering from a turbulent pre-season | Taylor scored four times in big FA Cup win over Southall to set up Folkestone meeting

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 Biolietti, 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