Joe Ellul speaks about his return to Ramsgate after coming out of retirement for player-assistant boss role | Rams open the new season at AFC Croydon this weekend

Joe Ellul says something was missing after being tempted out of retirement by Ramsgate in a player-assistant manager role.

Centre-half Ellul spent the first half of last season at Southwood, quickly becoming a crowd favourite as Rams hit top spot in Isthmian South East and reached the FA Cup second round.

He left for National League South Welling in January, helping them pull off an unlikely escape from relegation before hanging up his boots at the end of the season.

Retirement has proved short-lived, though, with the 35-year-old accepting an offer to return to Ramsgate where he’ll be working alongside Ben Smith, who remains interim manager after briefly making way for Tony Russell this summer.

He’s been catching up on his fitness after spending the last four months “sitting on my bum drinking beer” and has shown his commitment by moving house from London to Ramsgate.

“In my head I was done with football,” said Ellul, who has declared himself available for Rams’ league opener at AFC Croydon this Saturday.

“I went away but I was talking to my wife about it and I just felt like something was missing.

“I stopped playing so we could move away but I was trying to help the club get players in and then I saw Ben went and came back.

“I spoke to Tom Hadler (goalkeeper) and he said why don’t you come back? I then spoke to James (Lawson, chairman) and Ben and it just fitted well.

“They offered me assistant manager and player and I thought let’s do it. That’s the road I want to go down eventually, becoming a manager, so it means I get to learn at the same time as playing.

“I don’t know if I retired too soon because I felt as though I was ready. I don’t know what it was.

“There was just something missing from what’s been part of