Solitary Strike Inflicts Dorking Defeat
Margate were beaten by a solitary Jason Prior strike as they hosted league leaders Dorking Wanderers at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday evening.
The game started brightly for The Gate when young forwards Joseph Hungbo and Sid Sollis combining well with the latter cutting into the area to rifle a shot towards goal.
Next to test the opposition keeper was Bradley Stevenson who managed to get himself in a good position following a smart through-ball, but his attempt ricocheted off a defender into the arms of the keeper.
With the hosts turning up the pressure, Hungbo was proving a real handful down the right-hand side.
Having enticed a foul on the edge of the box, the Palace loanee enforced a smart save from his follow up free kick, whilst centre-back Ben Swift was denied from the subsequent corner.
A hard-fought clash between the two sides, there were two early dismissals. The first of Wanderers manager Marc White and the second, Margate wide-man Dave Martin who was given his marching orders after just 24 minutes after obtaining a second yellow card.
Dorking had spells on the ball but were limited to shots from long distance before Margate had the best opening opportunity when Hungbo produced a mazy run into the box feeding Sollis, who at a tight angle, produced a good, reactive save.
After the break, the visitors made a double substitution in a bid to find a way to break down a resolute and organised Margate defence.
The impact was almost instant when a snap shot from Richards was smartly diverted by the outstretched leg of Margate goalkeeper Louis Wells.
Wells was on hand minutes later, this time to deny Will Briggs who made a dazzling run infiltrating The Gate’s right-hand side.
After enjoying a dominant spell, Dorking got their lead when top-scorer Prior pounced on an opportunity to clinically nudge his side ahead.
The visitors’ lead could have been doubled later on but for a fine sliding block from Paxman.
10-man Margate worked tirelessly to limit the man advantage their opposition enjoyed for the majority of the match, but a point could not be salvaged as Dorking continued their charge at the summit of the Bostik league taking away three points.
Margate: Wells, Mills, Friend ©, Swift, Paxman, Hungbo, Dymond, Rogers, Stevenson, Sollis (Wratten), Martin
Subs: Kallemier, Robins, Barnard