Molesey’s run of ten wins from eleven games came to an end with a narrow 2-1 defeat at Ramsgate
An 82nd minute penalty by Joe Taylor that saw Rob Sheridan dismissed proved to the difference between the sides, after Stafforde Palmer had cancelled out Ian Pullman’s opener.

The Moles were desperately unlucky to not get a least a point out of a match that they controlled for most of the opening period, and despite a more even second half, the hosts’ Luke Watkins continued to be the busier keeper.

The game was dominated by a biting, driving wind that swept diagonally across the pitch that favoured the Moles in the first half and the Rams in the second.

The pattern of the game was set in the opening minutes when a Craig Lewington free kick from the Molesey right that appeared to be heading for the back post swung violently towards goal and had to be palmed away by Watkins.

From the resulting corner, Lewington again made decent contact with the set piece, but the ball was picked up and carried into the stand behind the goal as if a beach ball on Ramsgate beach.

Reis Stanislaus had an effort blocked as the Moles started the brighter, although Taylor came within inches of getting on the end of Tom Loynes’ misdirected shot at the other end.

Sam Robinson tried to use the wind to his advantage with a long range effort that didn’t quite have the swerve he was hoping for, whilst brother Ollie saw a header clear the bar.

Stanislaus unselfishly teed up Palmer but was denied by a terrific block by Loynes, and for once James McShane lacked composure when in on goal, shooting wastefully over after being played in by Robinson.

On the half hour mark a through ball again picked up in the wind and ended up at the feet of Pullman. His control was instant, and he finished neatly beyond Liam Allen.

The goal was against the run of play, and within moments it almost got worse from a near identical scenario, but Allen was able to usher Pullman wide before blocking his shot.

The lead last just six minutes, as Robinson’s through ball was dummied by Stanislaus, allowing Palmer a run at goal. He displayed all the confidence of a man in form by waiting for Watkins to go to ground before dinking the ball over him for his 8th goal in four games.

Fine work by Luke Elliott presented Palmer with another chance moments later, but Wakins turned his rasping drive around the post.

McShane burst through the home defence early in the second half but was denied by another smart save from Watkins, and Oliver Gray shot narrowly wide in a bright opening to the half, whilst Palmer had two free kicks from near identical positions well saved by the busy keeper.

The Moles had a glorious chance to take the lead when Palmer broke clear down the right and crossed for Stanislaus, ten yards out, without a defender near him, but again the wind disturbed the flight of the ball and his first time effort ballooned up into the grateful arms of Watkins.

With the wind in their favour, the Rams were having a lot of the ball inside Molesey territory but were not creating a huge amount, with Gray and Pullman both snatching at half chances.

A well worked corner involving Lewington and Palmer presented McShane with a golden opportunity but he could only shoot into the side netting from the corner of the six yard box.

Allen had been alert in the ‘sweeper/keeper’ role to thwart the Rams several times in the second half, but got it wrong when Taylor beat him to a through ball, and with only Sheridan standing between him and the goal his effort from 12 yards was kept out by the Molesey defender, with the ref ruling that he had used an arm to do so.

Sheridan furiously protested his innocence, but once the penalty kick had been given the ref had no choice but to brandish the red card. Taylor blasted home the penalty.

It nearly got worse for the Moles when the Rams broke five on two, but after taking the ball around Allen, Ross Chalke cleared Pullman’s effort off the line.

The Moles were unable to create a final chance, as the Rams moved ahead of them into second place in the table.

Despite Molesey’s wonderful start to the season the defeat continues a miserable run of results in Kent. Of the 22 points the Moles have dropped this season, 13 have come in the garden of England.

Although the opportunity for revenge over Ramsgate will have to wait until later in the season, the chance to atone for three of those lost points presents itself on Tuesday night when Faversham Town visit Walton Road.