MARGATE MATCH PREVIEW

It’s all or nothing for Margate as they visit The Woodspring Stadium on Friday with their National League South status hanging by a thread. Anything but a win will see Margate confirmed as relegated down to the Isthmian Premier for next season.

Coming into the Good Friday Club Open Day clash, Weston need three points and a Gosport loss to ensure their Vanarama National League South status for the next season. After suffering a setback in form through March, the Seagulls now look back on track to securing survival after being sucked back into the relegation fight.

After former Chelsea & Swansea City midfielder Steven Watt replaced former goalkeeper and manager Nikki Bull in February of this year, Margate have seen their form slowly improve as they make for the ‘great escape’, however anything but a win on Saturday will have seen the relegation strugglers condemned to the Isthmian for the first time in three years.

Seagulls Gaffer Scott Bartlett looked forward to the Bank Holiday fixture, “We were excellent on Saturday, and Fridays game can’t come quick enough. Margate are fighting for their lives and we respect that, we have been in their position this season and it makes them dangerous.

“We know though, that with our players ability, and the energy we have, we can totally dominate a game at this level. Our players are showing a fantastic desire to do well, not only for the club abut also for our fans, they are 100% focused and professional. With our quality that makes us a difficult team to play.

We want to see a big crowd on Friday and hope to add a few more to the Seagull Army!”

Weston and Margate both had their part to play on the final day of last season, with Weston travelling to Havant and Margate making the journey to Bath City. Havant needed a win to stay up, but a draw would do as long as Bath scored three goals.

Havant went 1-0 up through James Hayter before Scott Wilson slid in from Jamie Edge’s shot to equalise and send Havant down, with Margate losing 2-0 to Bath. The final-day results saw Margate stay up by one single goal, with this time around Weston having the chance to send The Gate down instead of keeping them up.

Don’t forget it is the Club Open Day, with entry set at a minimum donation of £1, although we have set no maximum.

Seats on the Supporters Coach to Hemel Hempstead on April 29th will also be available to book on Friday before and after the match, subject to availability. Seats are priced at £15 each, and must be paid for at the time of booking.