Last Gasp Penalty Save Earns Gate Point

Margate gained a valuable point on the road despite late penalty drama as they played out a goal less draw at The Dripping Pan on Wednesday evening.

On a cold, crisp night in East Sussex, it was the visitors who enjoyed the brighter start to proceedings and created the game’s first opportunity when Alex Flisher played a quick, instinctive ball to David Smith whose effort from distance fired over the crossbar.

Flisher was involved in The Gate’s next attacking move finding the path of Bradley Stevenson, the Gills loanee doing well to pick out the run of Smith who enforced a smart, diving save from keeper Lewis Carey.

Carey did well in the follow up, preventing Stevenson’s subsequent effort from hitting the target.

Whilst the hosts showed flashes of threat on the counter attack, it was Margate who dominated spells of possession and could have taken a deserved lead with 19 minutes on the clock.

Frannie Collin managed to find captain Liam Friend at the back post and having escaped his marker, the centre back was able to head back across goal into the path of Flisher whose acrobatic overhead kick went inches wide, escaping the incoming run of Smith who came agonisignly close to getting a crucial touch.

Breaking away immediately after, Carey’s goalkick found striker Luke Blewden who managed to link with Kieron Pamment to blast an effort just wide.

The best opportunity of the half fell to Margate when a corner delivery from Flisher could only be parried into the path of centre-back BenSwift whose volley fired over.

With the game very much in Margate’s control, the visitors were forced into a change when Connor Dymond came off worst in a clash of bodies in the middle of the park. 

Chris Barnard was introduced into proceedings and picked up where his team-mate left off, working tirelessly with James Rogers to limit Lewes’ opportunities in the middle third.

The second half began in the same vein as the first had ended, with Margate imposing themselves far more in search of the game’s opening goal.

Purusuing the victory, Margate’s management team were able to call upon one of their strongest benches of the season, introducing Sid Sollis and Dave Martin with the hope of breaking the deadlock.

However, just 30 seconds later, Margate were down to 10 men with 20 minutes left to play as Flisher pulled up with a hamstring injury, ending his evening prematurely after an impressive shift down the left flank.

With the luxury of an extra-man, the game swung in Lewes’ favour with the home side seizing advantage displaying why they are pushing at the higher end of the Bostik League.

Resolute in the battle, Margate kept a strong defensive shape managing to limit Lewes to more speculative efforts from distance.

As the tempo turned up, Lewes began to press into the Margate box more and more as Louis Wells and his back line fought hard for their clean sheet.

In the dying seconds of the game, referee Gerry Heron presented Lewes with a golden opportunity to snatch three points, awarding the home team a penalty after a final challenge of the game was adjudged to have been an illegal one.

With Margate hearts in their mouths, Wells dived to his right to make the save before the whistle blew signalling a hard-fought, well-deserved point for Margate.

After two tough away trips, Margate return to Harsdown Park on Saturday welcoming Leatherhead for what is anticpated to be another challenging fixture.

Margate: Louis Wells, Jack Paxman, Tom Mills, James Rogerts, Liam Friend, Ben Swift, Frannie Collin (Sidney Sollis), Connor Dymond (Chris Barnard), David Smith (David Martin), Bradley Stevenson, Alex Flisher.

Subs: Owen Kallameier, Jordy Robins