Joe Ellul explains why he’s left Ramsgate’s Isthmian South East title bid for a National League South relegation fight with Welling United

Joe Ellul’s desire to play week in, week out has seen him swap from Ramsgate’s title challenge for a relegation scrap at Welling.

There’s big competition in central defence at Southwood where Ellul was battling with Craig Stone, Alfie Young, Dan Johnson and Sinnkaye Christie for two starting spots.

Rams boss Ben Smith can’t guarantee anyone a game but, at 35, the former Maidstone and Sittingbourne centre-half just wants to play.

And with new business interests to consider off the field, it makes sense to leave the Isthmian South East leaders for a club closer to his London home.

He’s joined Welling who are fighting for survival in National League South.

There’s every chance he’d have ended the season with a second title medal in three years, following National League South success with the Stones in 2022, but it was time to go.

“I spoke to the club and they were good as gold,” said Ellul.

“It wasn’t, ‘you’re on a two-year deal, you can’t go anywhere’, it was, ‘you’ve got to do what’s best for you’.

“James (Lawson, chairman) and Ben were brilliant - and they have been since the get-go.

“They’ve backed me in every way possible in all the time I’ve been there, so I take my hat off to them.

“It’s more beneficial for me to be closer to home and be able to work away from football, and they were fine with that.

“Ramsgate are a good club and they’re going places.

“They’re going to get promoted, they’ve got the players to do it, and I hope they do.

“I’ve had a lot of good messages but it’s football, it happens, you’ve got to move on and get on with it.

“It’s done now and they’ve got a title to win.

“It’s hard to walk away in that sense because there’s nothing better than being part of a team that wins the league or gets promoted