Ramsgate manager Lee Martin says it’s human nature for players to protect themselves before cup final after play-off hopes faded

Lee Martin understands why Ramsgate players may be protecting themselves for the Velocity Cup final.

Rams have had little to play for in the Isthmian Premier since a 1-0 loss at Dartford at the start of March ended any realistic hopes of a play-off finish.

Boss Martin says his 10th-placed side are a “buoy at sea, bobbing up and down” after three defeats in four games, the latest of which was a 2-0 reverse at St Albans on Saturday.

The biggest game left in Ramsgate’s season is the Velocity Cup final against Wingate & Finchley, to be played at Aveley, on April 15.

It’s a fixture nobody wants to miss, either through injury or suspension.

With that in mind, Martin isn’t surprised to see Ramsgate slip from the pre-Dartford levels that had them in contention for a top-five finish.

They still put in a shift at St Albans, finishing with 10 men after Tom Clifford was sent off, but Martin knows Rams players will have one eye on the Wingate showpiece.

“I’ve been there as a player, especially when you’ve got a cup final,” said Martin, who takes Ramsgate to Chichester this Saturday (3pm).

“You don’t really want to be going into a tackle. Sometimes refs at this level send you off and they’ve got no understanding of the implications for the player. I do find that difficult.

“I got sent off last year for time-wasting, for two yellow cards, which was ridiculous, and missed the Margate game, where I could walk out with my kids when we were picking up the league trophy.

“It’s those moments where players probably look and go ‘I’ve got a final, I need to protect myself’ and you instantly drop off 10 per cent. It’s human nature. We definitely understand it.

“I think the standard we kept for so many months, we have definitely come away from