Ramsgate manager Ben Smith reflects on the club’s Isthmian South East title success and says he hopes they get the credit they deserve

Manager Ben Smith says he hopes Ramsgate get the credit they deserve after winning the Isthmian South East title.

Rams clinched the championship with a 4-0 win at Hythe on Good Friday, backed by hundreds of travelling fans in a crowd of 1,226 at Reachfields.

Supporters poured on to the pitch at full-time to celebrate after the club landed their first league title since Jim Ward delivered the Isthmian Division 1 crown in 2006.

The party continued back at Southwood as Ramsgate toasted an astonishing season that’s seen them accumulate 108 points from a possible 120, with two games still to play.

With title rivals Sittingbourne held 1-1 by Burgess Hill, a point would have been enough to take the league.

But Rams did it in style with goals from TJ Jadama, Jay Leader, Alfie Paxman and Joe Taylor in another big victory.

Smith accused Ramsgate of bottling their play-off semi-final against Chichester a year ago after being pipped by Cray Valley in an epic championship scrap.

He left the club weeks later but quickly returned, initially as caretaker, when successor Tony Russell quit inside a month.

And they’re now celebrating a place in the Isthmian Premier.

“What a difference 12 months makes,” said Smith.

“I was standing with microphones in my face and I got an awful lot of abuse and God knows what over my words.

“But it was a blessing in disguise not going up last year when you look at the scenes here today.

“What we’ve built at this football club, that started way before me with James Lawson, the chairman.

“He took a lot of stick last summer as well and what we’ve done is get together, regrouped, we’ve shut out the outside noise and let’s see if people give us the credit we deserve because he’s built the club up to be a