THE Rams returned to festive action to gain a draw and a well-deserved point from a tough encounter with fellow high-riders Folland Sports.

The Love Lane team are currently fifth in Division One, while Folland, with two games in hand, are sixth.

Both teams finished the hard-fought match on December 27 with ten men, after the Rams’ Cameron Smith (53rd minute) and Folland’s Gedeon Matonga (85th minute) were red carded.

Meanwhile the Rams’ recent good form saw the Wessex League present the club’s head of football Mark Summerhill with the Division One Club of the Month for November award.

After the match, Summerhill said the Rams were in a good place going into the new year with all to play for.

His optimism comes despite joint manager Pat Suraci returning to Gosport on December 18, leaving Joe Lea in sole charge at Love Lane.

Summerhill was head coach before the Gosport duo took charge and said: “We wish Pat all the best at Gosport, where both he and Joe came from in the summer.

“Joe is a very talented young coach who will go far and we are delighted and very pleased he is staying with us.

“I’m very involved on matchdays and I will also be working with Joe at training.

“So there’s no need to rush into replacing Pat – we have time, which is good.

“We are fifth in the league and we have played all the teams in the league at least once. As a result we know we are more than capable of staying fifth or finishing the season higher, which will keep us in the play-off spots.

“With the talented group of young players we have now, including the lads from last season who are more than holding their own, promotion to the Wessex League is very achievable, and if we don’t get it this year, we will next.

“The club should be in the Premier Division of the Wessex League and once we’re in it we would be able to stay there, without a shadow of a doubt.

“And we have the facilities needed to be in that league – in fact ours are better than some clubs already in it.”

And Summerhill, who is a firm believer in local talent, is busy forging a relationship with AFC Petersfield, an adult team set up for teenage players coming through the Town junior set up.

He said: “We have started the process with the AFC guys and that will continue in the new year.

“Sean Noble of AFC is doing a great job and we should be joined-up and working together.

“Our aim is to combine and get an under-18s team going – and if we get promoted too, it would be a season to remember.”

Recently AFC player Alex Hulme made his Rams debut, and Summerhill is clear he is just one of the many young talents who have a bright future with the senior club.

But he is very clear in reiterating the pursuit of promotion won’t leave Petersfield in financial difficulties.

He said: “The last time the club paid players it nearly bankrupted the club.

“Once we are promoted we can address the fact that other clubs pay players.”

On Saturday (January 7) the Rams host Millbrook in the league. Millbook are currently 11th in the 20-strong league. The game kicks off at 3pm at Love Lane.