Margate FC - 2005 - 2006 Season - Ryman Premier Division - Manager: Chris Kinnear / Robin Trott

Never a dull moment following Margate FC! If I think of the roller-coaster ride that was last season I remember the euphoria of the return to Hartsdown Park. This was followed over a number of weeks with disappointment at our inability to turn good defensive displays into home wins. As the season went on, there was concern at December and January’s slump in form followed a by a return to winning ways in February. But relief was temporary as relegation looked a real possibility following March’s slump – 5 successive defeats! This culminated in the surprise suspension of Chris Kinnear and Kevin Raine. With the appointment of Robin Trott as Caretaker Manager, the Blues moved clear of relegation danger, and with a feeling of relief still very much in mind, the season finished with the appointment of Robin Trott as Manager.

As ever, there are some interesting stats to reflect on, including:

- Margate won as many points away, as they did at home.
- Margate scored and conceded one more goal away than at home.
- 17 different players scored for the Bleus during the season:
16 Danny Hockton
6 Adolf Amoako*
5 Bertie Brayley, Ian Hilaire*, Ellis Remy*
4 Lawrence Yiga
3 Leon Braithwaite*
2 Jermaine Brown*, Hasim Deen, Bill Edwards, Gavin McGowan*, Daniel Sacha*, Charlie Taylor*
1 Alexis Charalambous*, Spencer Knight, Lee Protheroe, Darren Watson*

- 44 players represented Gate in competitive games. The top 10 appearances (starts) were made by:
42 Dean Standen, Bill Edwards
36 John Keister, Charlie Mitten
33 Greg Oates
32 Hasim Deen
31 James Donavan
27 Bertie Brayley
20 Ian Hilaire*, Danny Hockton

* not with Margate at end of season

- Compared to last season (Conference South) Margate scored five fewer goals, conceded 20 fewer goals and accrued six more points.

When it comes to thinking about the “best” and “worse” results of the season, it becomes a little subjective. But for me, the best results were the 3-2 hone win over Hampton & Richmond Borough and the 2-1 away win at AFC Wimbledon. On the other hand the two most disappointing results were probably the home defeat to Cray Wanderers in the FA Cup – Third Qualifying Round and the 1-3 reverse at Redbridge.

When you look back over the season, Margate peaked early in term of league position. A record of just one defeat in their opening 10 league and cup matches looked good until the realisation that the run included just one league victory. An early season propensity to draw matches that the Blues arguably had enough possession to have won began to have an adverse impact. Indeed, Gate only briefly moved to within touching distance of 12th place (in November) before dropping towards the relegation zone – even dropping into the fourth from bottom slot, albeit briefly. February’s revival with two wins in three league games looked to point to safety, but a disastrous March that spilled into April with five successive league defeats plunged the Blues back into the relegation battle. But a remarkable end to the season, under Caretaker Manager Robin Trott saw a timely revival of fortunes on the field and Margate ended in 14th place.

So just how close did Margate come to relegation? Well, when you look at the points accumulated compared to last year, it wasn’t until the 38th game that Margate started to put some distance between this and last season’s points tally.

Goals are of course the key, and the numbers show how much the Blues had missed a goal scorer of Che Stadhart’s ability in the early season. Until the arrival at Hartsdown Park of Danny Hockton, Margate had peaked (or should that be “troughed”) at 14 goals below last year’s total. Hockton’s remarkable run of form that saw him score 16 goals in 20 appearances, reduced that deficit to five, and was instrumental in Margate’s survival in the Ryman Premier league.

Having said that, throughout the season the defence did perform well, despite appearances to the contrary. Given the relatively few times that Gate were able to defend a lead, then any goals conceded were always likely to feel more significant. But overall, a “goals against” column showing 20 fewer than last season (and even one fewer than the season before) does represent a good performance.

Of course it comes as no surprise that attendances suffer when the team – particularly at home – fails to deliver good results. Margate were no exception and following good early season attendance, the number of fans coming through the turnstiles began to edge down as the season, progressed.

Nevertheless, the average attendance for the season of almost 700 was the best Margate had enjoyed since our first full Conference (National) season and close to that achieved in the Southern League Championship season. In fact, the increase in attendances compared to last season (at Ashford) of 462, compares favourably to the overall average attendance achieved in our first season back in the Southern League Premier Division when the average was 538.

So how did the season pan out, month by month?

With all the hard work by the club and fans alike, August 20th was a fantastic day. A temporary Hartsdown Park looked resplendent with new paintwork, new pitch perimeter fencing, new seating, new floodlights and a wonderful looking playing surface. A crowd of almost thirteen hundred came to see the return of the Blues to their home town, and it was a returning star that score the vital goal to seal a 1-0 win against newly promoted (and subsequently relegated) Maldon Town.

In front of a big partisan crowd, Gate always looked the likely winners: solid at the back, hard working in midfield and with Darren Watson and Leon Braithwaite promising much in attack. There was really just a 10-minute spell toward the end of the first half and two late chances in the final two minutes of the half to excite the Maldon fans. Otherwise, Margate looked in control – playing some good football as their passing game started to come together.

As the game wore on, there looked likely to be only one winner, and on 68 minutes the goal duly arrived. The ball came into the Maldon area from the right hand side and Braithwaite was on hand to force the ball home from close range to give the home side a deserved lead.

Margate also recorded two draws in the month and lost away at Staines. One of the draws was at home to Redbridge in front of what was to prove Margate’s second and final home attendance above 1,000 for the season.

The final two games of August proved to be the start of an astonishing series of draws for the Blues that ran right through September. Later in the season, this run of draws began to look very attractive as Gate struggled to avoid the relegation places. At the time though, Margate’s inability to translate good possession and solid defending into a winning combination began to generate mixed comments.

Gate’s opponents in the month were Worthing, Fisher Athletic, Slough Town and Bromley. The best of the four games was arguably the home fixture against Fisher.

A fourth draw in a row was a good result against the big-spending Fish – one of the favourites for the title and subsequently promoted via the play-offs.

Margate featured two new signings – Gavin McGowan and Ellis Remy - in the starting 11, in addition to loanee Bertie Brayley, who made is debut at Worthing in the previous game.

The contest opened evenly, before the visitors took hold of the game and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession – creating most of the chances. But as soon as Gate got back into the game, they scored. The second half opened with the home side playing the more composed football, with a new found confidence that a half-time lead brings. But gradually, the Fish played themselves back into the game and got a deserved equaliser deep into the second half.

On 30 minutes, Margate had the ball in the back of the net. The Blues progressed up field with Mark Green. He got the ball to Braithwaite who fed Oates wide on the right, who in turn won a throw off the Fisher defender. Billy Edwards collected the ball from the throw in and crossed into the area, from which Braithwaite “scored” only to be denied by the assistant referee’s offside flag. But shortly afterwards, Gate did take the lead. Debutant Ellis Remy picked up a long ball forward – about 25 yards from goal. He beat one defender before delightfully lobbing Pullen – the ball nestling in the back of the net.

On 68 minutes, Anthony Riviere – who came more into the game as the game progressed, forced Mitten to save from his low effort, from just outside the Margate area. A minute later, the Fish were level. A nice ball in from the right found former Margate loanee Steve Watts who was on hand to clinically head home.

Despite an unbeaten month, Margate slipped two places in the league to 14th, but with a growing reputation of being hard to beat.

October was notable for the end of Margate’s long sequence of draws and the start of a three game losing sequence that went into November.

The drawing sequence was ended with a 1-0 home win over Wealdstone, a result that also stretched Gate’s unbeaten league run to nine games.

Chris Kinnear opted for new signing Ryan Maxwell in place of Daniel Sacha in the starting line up. Edwards, Deen and Donovan were the central defensive three, flanked by Oates and Ryan. Keister, Maxwell and Standen made up the midfield with last week’s attacking partnership of Braithwaite and Amoako. The Blues probably just did enough to merit the win, although the goal did come in controversial circumstances.

The home side held the upper hand throughout most of the opening half, with the visitors creating a number of good chances in the second half that saw them adopt a more physical game-plan. But despite this, they couldn’t stop Margate taking a decisive the lead on 79 minutes. It was a long clearance from the back and Adolf Amoako and Russell Ling both challenged for the ball. Amoako got there first – managing to get a foot to the ball ahead of the keeper. Despite the on-rushing keeper, the Margate striker managed to steer the ball goal-wards. A covering defender tried desperately to stop the ball crossing the line and when it did, the Wealdstone players immediately surrounded the referee claiming the Margate man had unfairly challenged the keeper, but despite their protests the goal stood.

Then came two defeats in succession albeit against the two sides ultimately promoted. But a return of five from a possible 18 points in the month was not enough to prevent a further slip down the table to 16th. Also of note was the “player count” – up to 32 different players had represented Gate on the field since the opening day of the season.

Despite starting with a defeat (the final one in a three game losing sequence), November showed a better return for Margate: seven points from a possible 18 – a season’s best to date. A home defeat to Chelmsford was followed by victories over Windsor & Eton and Hampton & Richmond, either side of a home draw with Kent rivals Bromley.

In fact the home win over Hampton & Richmond was one of the most entertaining games of the season, against a side that were top of the league. The Blues’ defence came through a stern first half examination and resisted a late Hampton assault as the visitors searched for something from the game. But a strong performance from Gate – particularly Adolf Amoako and Bill Edwards – steered the home side to a deserved three points.

On 21 minutes, a corner came in from the right and Bill Edwards in an advanced position got hold of the ball 12 yards from goal and powered in a shot giving the keeper no chance. Amazingly, this was Edwards’ second goal in two games.

Then on 41 minutes, Yaku scored a stylish and deserved equaliser for the visitors. Hampton won a free kick on the right, which was played into the Hampton striker just outside the six-yard box. He sensed time and space and dinked a neat overhead kick beyond Mitten and into the far corner of the net.

On 52 minutes, Margate demonstrated their growing confidence with some great attacking play on the right. Robinson and Amoako were instrumental in bringing the ball forward quickly before McGowan hit a rising volley from just inside the area that flew inches over Lovett’s bar. Gate then attacked dangerously on the left, winning a corner. Allman floated the ball to the edge of the six-yard box, Lovett missed it but Amoako was on hand to fire in Margate’s second goal of the game. With 66 minutes gone, Margate were rewarded for their increasingly exciting attacking play. A long clearance from the Blue’s defensive positions caught out the Hampton defence. Taylor rounded a defender and then took the ball round Lovett before squeezing his low shot into the corner of the net for Margate’s third goal of the contest.

But with 20 minutes remaining Hampton won a penalty – hand ball given against a Margate defender following a long throw in from the right. Godfrey stepped up and fired the visitors back into the game – giving Mitten no chance. The visitors sensed that they could get something from the game and had one of their best periods of the game following the penalty, but failed to find the break-through.

Over the month, Gate moved three places up the table to 13th but still the major issue seemed to be goal scoring with just five goals in four games leaving little room for error in defence.

December saw all November’s hard work reversed as the Blues endured three defeats in successive league games for the second time in eight weeks. Away defeats at East Thurrock United (with due respect, how can this be a Ryman Premier standard ground?) and Heybridge Swifts and a home defeat to Leyton were followed by a win at Hendon and a derby draw with Folkestone on Boxing Day at Hartsdown Park.

Margate’s draw-count hit double figures for the season with this, their 10th stalemate of the campaign.

In truth, Invicta may feel a little aggrieved that they did not take all the points. The Stripes created most of the chances in the first half, although only really testing keeper Charlie Mitten on a couple of occasions. Margate set the pace in the opening stages of the second half, but then the visitors gradually got themselves back into the game – again creating most of the chances.

On 82 minutes Margate should have taken the lead. Brayley’s great run down the left allowed him the opportunity to find Amoako. His effort on goal was only partially cleared as far as Hilaire but from six yards he couldn’t get his foot around the ball and Folkestone cleared the danger. Shortly after this chance, Margate came forward again on the right, and a great ball inside found Hilaire and this time the Margate man made no mistake beating Kessell with a low effort.

But with two minutes of the match remaining, Invicta were level. It was another swift break on the right and this time the ball was switched accurately to the left. Matata collected the ball and from the edge of the Margate area let fly with a powerful effort that gave Mitten no chance.

So a return of just four points from a possible 15 saw the Blues drop to 16th place once again, and worryingly the goal difference for the month was -4. The “player count” had risen to 39 (different players representing Gate on the field) since the opening day of the season.

The New Year saw no improvement in Margate’s fortunes on the pitch. In fact, January was the second worse month for the Blues as just three from a possible 18 points were added to the total for the season to date.

Arguably, the low point of the season was reached on 2nd January when Margate endured a 1-3 defeat at Redbridge. Given the Motormen finished 30 points shy of safety with just 14, the fact the four of those points came from Gate was disappointing.

There was also a home defeat to Staines and draws against Maldon Town, Slough Town and Harrow Borough.

The 2-5 defeat to Staines was a strange game in that although there were seven goals, a sending off and an out-field player in goal for the whole of the second half, it never truly sparked into life. Perhaps the two-goal lead that Staines raced to in six first half minutes had much to do with that.

With just three minutes gone, the visitors came forward and almost from nothing, Michael Currie played the ball in for Jamie Guy who hit his lobbed effort from the edge of the Margate area – the ball looping over McMahon’s head and into the goal. Two minutes later, a Staines cross from the right was headed out for a corner by Greg Oates. Robbie King took the corner from the left - the Margate defence unable to clear the danger – giving Marien Ifura the opportunity he needed to turn the ball into the net from six yards, to put the visitors two goals up.

With 29 minutes on the clock, Staines won a free kick, but Deen was able to clear the initial danger at the expense of a corner as Currie looked to take advantage. Brayley headed the corner away, but possession was again picked up by Staines, and as they broke forward Ali Chaaban found room and fired low into the net for the visitor’s third goal.

In the final minute of the half Margate got a goal back. The Blues exerted sustained pressure on the Staines goal with a corner from the left. The ball dropped into the six-yard box and was forced goal-wards only for Andrew Scarlett to clear the ball off the goal line with his arm. The referee had no choice but to award the penalty and show the Staines player a straight red card. Debutant Danny Hockton stepped up and despatched the spot kick to the back of the net with great confidence.

On 59 minutes, 10-man Staines extended their lead. From a long clearance, Guy picked up possession and from the right corner of the Margate area fired a low effort across the front of Hasim Deen - who had taken over between the sticks from the injured Billy McMahon - into the bottom right corner of the goal to put the visitors 4-1 up. Staines won a free kick on 73 minutes, 20 yards from goal. The alert Robbie King took it quickly and beat Deen at his near post to record the visitors’ fifth goal of the match.

Margate ended the game strongly and won a corner in the closing stages. From the corner, Brayley and Sesay exchanged passes before Gradley got involved. The subsequent cross came into the Staines area – the defenders unable to clear the danger. As Margate tried to force the ball over the line, Allaway almost helped the ball into his own goal. The ball was partially cleared but only as far as Charalambous who from eight yards thundered a half volley into the goal for his first goal in a Margate shirt.

By the end of the month the Blues had slipped to 18th in the league, on the back of a run that had seen just one win in two months. The spectre of a second relegation in succession beckoned as Margate looked anxiously toward the run-in.

Given recent form, Margate enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in February enjoying an unbeaten month - including three victories in four games. When added to the two draws at the end of January, it represented Gate’s most productive run of the season to date. Wins over East Thurrock United, AFC Wimbledon and Wealdstone, plus an entertaining draw against title-chasing Braintree delivered 10 from a possible 12 points as Gate went into the top three of the form table.

Whilst the home draw against Braintree had plenty of talking points – not least the dismissal of the charismatic George Borg from the Iron’s dug-out, the away win at Wimbledon was the performance of the month for the Blues.

This was a game that you couldn’t take your eyes off of. The Dons opened brightly, but Margate took the lead on 15 minutes. Then Gate’s confidence rose and they took the game to the hosts until the Dons equalised 11 minutes later. Wimbledon then held sway for most of the remainder of the half. But then Margate opened brightly in the second half and went ahead on 49 minutes. The home side then seemed to lose their way until the closing stages when they laid siege to the Margate area. But Gate hung on, despite going down the 10 men for the final few minutes.

With a quarter of an hour gone Margate were making steady progress down the left with a series of throw-ins. From one close to the corner flag, Dean Standen found Brayley. He did well to skip past a couple of defenders on his way to the bye-line before pulling the ball back with a delightful left foot cross that was met by Hockton – coming in from a deeper position – who powered home a header out of the reach of Little and into the goal.

For the next few minutes, Margate were the major attacking force – the combination of Brayley and Hockton giving the home defence plenty to think about. But then on 26 minutes, the Dons struck back. Woolner sent a nice ball into the Margate area where Butler sent a delightful lob over Behcet, with Carthy on hand to complete the job from close range.

Margate had a dream start to the second half when with just four minutes gone, Brayley collected a long clearance and knocked the ball over for Hockton who, turned and from distance fired in a shot that had Little well beaten

As the game moved towards a conclusion, it became a question of what would come first; the referee’s whistle or a Wimbledon goal. Rob Ursell created the ideal opportunity for Carthy, but the Don’s new signing couldn’t put his header from six yards beyond Behcet’s reach, as the young Margate keeper saved brilliantly. Behcet then failed to clear a subsequent ball in; leaving Edwards exposed as a Wimbledon player took possession and looked to bare down on goal. Margate’s longest serving player reacted by bringing down the Wimbledon man, and as the last man received a straight red card.

With the man advantage, the Dons desperately sought an equaliser but their crossing remained inaccurate – frustrating for the home fans given the number of good positions they found themselves in. As to clock counted down, there was still time for the home side to hit the angle of bar and post from just inside the right edge of the Margate area, but it was a case of too little, too late for the home side as they went down to just their second home defeat of the season.

Unfortunately for Margate, their own good form coincided with that of other teams at the bottom of the table. As a result, Gate only moved two places in the month. But the relief at the results achieved in the month was clear for all to see.

The Blues went into their first game of March at Chelmsford with raised expectation after such a good February. But an undeserved 0-1 defeat started another disappointing run of defeats that was to eventually number five and ultimately cost Chris Kinnear and Kevin Raine the opportunity of securing new contracts at the club.

As well as the defeat at Chelmsford City, Gate also went down to AFC Wimbledon, Walton & Hersham and Billericay Town. Whilst still a disappointing sequence of results, all of these teams did finish above Margate in the final table.

The home encounter with Walton & Hersham was an entertaining match although the result was not welcome. Despite taking a two goal lead, the Blues were pegged back by the Swans and eventually lost 2-4.

On 12 minutes Margate won a corner following a free kick on the half-way line. Bertie Brayley took the kick from the left and Laurence Yiga got his head to the ball, which took it away from the defender and towards Ian Hilaire. Hilaire – from the corner of the six-yard box – fired in an unstoppable shot that gave Ricky Perks no chance.

Margate’s start to the second half could not have been better. On 47 minutes after good work in the midfield from Hilaire, Hockton picked the ball up on the left side of the Walton area. He moved inside, made a little room for himself and lashed a shot into the back of the net for Gate’s second goal of the game.

Walton were given a lifeline back into the game on 51 minutes by the referee. Mister Child had wrongly judged that a Margate defender had handled the ball to gain control when the ball clearly came off his body. Nail Lampton stepped up and fired the spot kick low to Mitten’s right and into the bottom corner. On reflection, this was arguably the pivotal point in the game. With 67 minutes gone, the Swans drew level. Breaking down the right, good work from substitute Ben Thorne helped provide a right to left ball that Healy met – sliding in at the far post – to score.

Then came the killer blow that exposed Margate’s apparent defensive frailties. On 87 minutes, Goggins got the ball forward but the Margate defence were only able to clear as far as Rob George, who hit a low effort from the edge of the Margate box that just sneaked inside Mitten’s right post. But worse was to follow as Walton split open the Margate defence in the third minute of added time to score a fourth goal through substitute Ben Thorne.

With no points and just three goals scored during the month, Margate were fortunate not to lose more than one place in the table in the month. Nevertheless, relegation fears rose once again as the club and fans contemplated a second relegation in as many years.

April was a big month for the Blues, not just in the season but in the history of the club. It started with another defeat; 1-2 at home to play-off chasing Heybridge Swifts, and then a 1-1 draw at home to Windsor & Eton. It was after this game that Chris Kinnear and Kevin Raine were suspended from their duties, and Robin Trott appointed as caretaker Manager.

A win over Hampton & Richmond – Trott’s first game in charge - to complete the double was followed by draws against Worthing and Folkestone, and wins against Leyton and Hendon.

For Hendon, the last game of the season was at the time a fight for Premier Division survival. In the event of course, the resignation from the Conference of Canvey Island and their subsequent placement in Ryman League One meant that Hendon were reprieved.

Gate were always in the hunt even though they went two goals down in the first half. The Blues hit the frame of the goal on three occasions, so were making chances. The visitors on the other hand had some good periods of play but were no more threatening than Margate in the opening period. But then three goals in less than 10 second half minutes in essence secured the points for Margate despite the visitors upping the tempo later in the half. Lee Protheroe rounded off the scoring for Margate with his first goal for the club.

On eight minutes the visitors broke quickly on the right with Andy Cook. He swung the ball into the Margate area and Jeff Campbell was on hand to turn the ball into the net and put Hendon into the lead. Eight minutes before the break, Campbell picked the ball up on the Hendon left before moving inside. He slipped the ball to O’Brien who found Ricci Crace who in turn found the back of the Margate net to put the visitors 2-0 up.

Twelve minutes into the second half, Dean Standen pumped a long free kick towards the Hendon area. Oates and Keister were both involved in keeping the Margate pressure on the Hendon defence despite Campbell’s best efforts. Then Gradley exchanged passes with Protheroe who crossed from the right. Sesay almost got the ball but Hockton did and he managed to force the ball over the line for Margate’s first goal. Two minutes later, Margate were level. John Keister picked up Hendon’s partial clearance from Standen’s ball forward. Hockton and Knight then exchanged passes on the edge of the penalty area before Hockton took the ball back and fired in a superb shot from the edge of the area, giving Banks no chance in the Hendon goal.

On 66 minutes, things got even better for Margate as they took the lead for the first time in the match. From a throw in, Margate got the ball into the Hendon area – Sesay involved – and Spencer Knight managed to force the ball over the line from close range. Then as the game went into added time, Margate won a corner on the left. Protheroe’s corner dropped at the far post for Bill Edwards, but his effort was cleared off the line by the Danny Murphy. Margate still had possession with Protheroe on the left edge of the area, from where he turned and thundered a wonderful strike into the opposite corner of the goal to complete the win for Margate.

April saw Margate play seven league games – more than in any other month of the season, and with just one defeat, three wins and three draws Gate climbed three places in the month to end the season in 14th place – just below mid-table.

The Cup Competitions were not good to Margate this season. The Blues lost their grip the much maligned Kent Senior Cup with a narrow 0-1 defeat to Gravesend and Northfleet at Stonebridge Road – their fist defeat in this competition in four seasons.

But there were two equally disappointing performances in the FA Cup and the FA Trophy; both against Kent sides from the division below Gate.

In the FA Cup, Margate had overcome Cowes Sports comfortably and then recorded a hard-working 1-0 win over Conference South Carshalton Athletic. Ryman League Division One side Cray Wanderers were the visitors to Hartsdown in the Third Qualifying Round and they ran out 3-0 winners.

Gate were missing Bill Edwards (injured), Adolf Amoako (cup-tied) Smith (to avoid becoming cup-tied for Gravesend), Keister (unavailable) and Braithwaite (work commitments). Whilst the Blues enjoyed significant periods of possession, they were found wanting at the back, and failed to make Northwood in the Cray goal work as hard as they might. For the Wands Ross Lover and Michael Power (2) scored the goals.

Then after a win at former Southern League rivals Bashley, Margate took on Dartford in the FA Trophy. Once again, the Blues came unstuck against lower ranked opposition. The Blues did create chances, and perhaps deserved a draw. But the Darts stuck to their game plan and in Anthony Henry and Richard Avery, had arguably the game’s two key performers.

Margate’s cause wasn’t helped when Dean Standen retaliated to a bad tackle by former Margate player Steve Hafner. Standen received his second yellow card of the contest, and an early shower. By this time, however, Gate were already a goal down to Dave Martin’s powerful strike on 22 minutes. A goal down and a man down, Gate did continue to make chances, but equally they looked more vulnerable at the back. Once again, it was Margate’s profligacy in front of goal that cost them at least a replay.

So overall in the 2005/06 season, Margate played 50 competitive games, winning just 15. Gate scored more than two goals in just five games, and conceded more than two in seven games.

How will the 2006/07 pan out?