Potters Bar Town (H) - 22nd April 2023

By Josh Cole

It’s the final league and home game for the 2022/23 season as we take on Potters Bar Town at Hartsdown Park on Saturday afternoon.

Last time out it was victory for the ‘Gate as we beat Thanet Rivals Ramsgate 3-1 in the Kent Senior Cup Semi-Final. With an early red card for Ramsgate in the 8th minute, Margate controlled the pace of the game taking a three goal lead with goals from Ben Greenhalgh (26’), Yaser Kasim (43’) and Harvey Smith (47’) before TJ Jadama got one back for the Rams in the 83rd minute.

The visitors secured a 3-1 win over Carshalton Athletic last Saturday with three goals in the first half for Potters Bar as they put their recent struggles behind them to secure a much welcome three points.

Phil Roberts and Taylor Fisher remain ruled out for the last Isthmian League fixture, whilst it is likely that Ruben Soares-Junior and Fyn Rutherford will return to the squad after being cup tied for the semi-final win on Tuesday. .

The last time the ‘Gate and the Scholars met it was a narrow 1-0 win for the Blues at The Lantern Stadium with the only goal of the game being scored by Harrison Hatfull in the 26th minute. The other head to head sees Margate winning three, Potters Bar winning four, and one ending in a draw.

The visitors come to Hartsdown Park having lost four of their last five matches against Lewes (2-1), Corinthian-Casuals (0-1), Hastings (1-4), and Wingate & Finchley (2-0) however, they ended that losing streak by beating Carshalton (3-1). Margate have had slightly better results in their last five by drawing with Lewes (2-2), losing to Haringey (1-0), Folkestone (0-1), and Billericay (3-0) but beat Ramsgate (3-1).

Fans are encouraged to stay behind after the conclusion of the match in the Hartsdown Bar for the End of Season Awards Night which starts at 6pm.

Not with us for the final home game of the season? Stay tuned with the match and awards night by paying attention to our official twitter @margate_fc from 2:15pm onwards!

Blues Suffer Final Day Defeat

Report by Josh Cole 

Margate suffered a final day defeat as they were beaten by Potters Bar Town 3-2 at Hartsdown Park on Saturday afternoon.

Reece Prestedge named three changes from the win over Ramsgate in the Kent Senior Cup Semi-Final as Fyn Rutherford and Ruben Soares-Junior returned to starting line-up after they were ineligible for the Semi-Final, they replaced Harrison Hatfull and Ben Greenhalgh and Adeyinka Cole started over Sam Blackman who picked up an injury to his leg.

The game started slow with the only action inside the first ten minutes being Chingoka going down holding his head. He was able to carry on and Margate began to impose themselves on the Potters Bar defence but were unable to break the deadlock.

Shortly after, Potters Bar came out unscathed from the Margate attacks, they sprung an unlikely chance which ended up with the ball falling to Dowridge inside the box and he fired the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 in the 18th minute. Just a minute later Margate would level the game through in-form striker Harvey Smith after Nathan Wood superbly found Smith by lifting the ball over the Potters Bar centre backs and Smith deftly chipped the ball over the keeper to make it 1-1.

Margate would almost make it two straight away as Soares-Junior got an opportunity from a free kick however it just went wide. Potters Bar would restore their lead after Ken Feyi was brought down in the box by Yaser Kasim giving the visitors a penalty in the 25th minute. The former Blues striker stepped up and calmly put the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1. Straight from kick-off Ade Cole saw the keeper way off his line and took his chance to try an outrageous attempt from the halfway line which needed the keeper to touch it over the bar.

Potters Bar would only have the lead for four minutes before they were pegged back again by Smith, who grabbed his second of the game after Rutherford pulled the ball to the back post where Smith tapped the ball into the open net for 2-2.

Margate would get one more clear-cut chance before the break as Sinn’Kaye Christie had a header at the back post however it came off the top of the crossbar and the score stayed level.

The second half would start how the first half ended with Margate on the attack and within a minute Harvey Smith tried to take it round the goalkeeper, but his touch was just too heavy, and it went out for a goal kick.

Margate would gift the visitors a third goal and the lead in the 63rd minute after Soares-Junior played an under-hit pass into space on the edge of the Margate box which Feyi was able to pounce on and take it round Jinadu before the shot rolled past Hudson who tried to stop the ball from going in on the line.

Margate would control the game again coming forward but were creating no real opportunities until the 77th minute when Soares-Junior found Wood in the box, but he was denied by a great save from Hoti. The final chance for Margate to equalise would come in the 89th minute when Greenhalgh found Smith with a low cross just on the six-yard box however Smith lifted his shot over the bar, squandering the chance for his hat-trick and for Margate to rescue a point.

The game would finish 3-2 to the visitors, a frustrating loss for Margate at home in front of the fans for the final game of the season.

MARGATE XI: Jinadu, Kasim, Christie, Hudson, Cole (Young 69’), Smith, Wood, Barton (Parkinson 85’), Ojemen, Rutherford (Greenhalgh 68’), Soares-Junior.

Subs not used: Emmanuel Oke, Rory Sutcliffe

Margate Man of the Match

Harvey Smith

Attendance

543