Margate FC secure win against Potters Bar Town

Football

By Blue-tinted specs

Potters Bar 0 Margate 1

Margate surely allayed any lingering concerns about relegation from the Isthmian Premier Division with a win at Potters Bar on Tuesday night that put them 15 points clear of the drop zone.

While Margate’s fortunes have improved in recent weeks, Potters Bar surely cannot wait for this season to end. Little over three months ago they were top of the league. Then manager Sammy Moore made the somewhat surprising decision to activate the ejector seat and land at Faversham, who were then bottom of the division below.

With back-to-back 5-0 defeats before this game (causing the resignation of Moore’s replacement), Potters Bar have been plummeting faster than Eddie the Eagle. Currently they are 13th and struggled to make an impact against an assertive Margate side who could end up overtaking them in the final table.

Both teams put in plenty of effort on a bone-chillingly cold night but Margate retained the ball better and perhaps ought to have ended the match with more than one goal.

That goal arrived on 26 minutes when Harrison Hatfull advanced on the home penalty area down the right. He beat his opponent Joe Russell and drilled a shot that went into the net via the near post.

In the second half Margate could have extended their lead when sub Harvey Smith broke clear down the right channel but shot wide of the far post. Then in the dying moments Ben Greenhalgh hit a post with a header.

Potter Bar’s best moment was the very last kick of the contest – a fierce shot by Adam Martin from 10 yards that was brilliantly deflected over the bar by Margate keeper Dan Jinadu. The ref immediately blew for full-time to start the celebrations among visiting players and supporters.