By David Hansen
Sunday sees the return of Margate Women to football action, as they begin their 2025/26 pre-season campaign with a challenging away fixture against Ashford United. The match takes place at the Green Box Stadium with a 3:30pm kick-off.
The two sides last met in a thrilling Combined Counties Midweek Cup tie, which ended 2-2 before Margate triumphed on penalties — a memorable victory against a team then competing in Tier 5.
Squad Updates: Familiar Faces & New Arrivals
As anticipation builds for the new season, supporters will be pleased to see the return of several key players from last year’s squad, including:
- Shannon King – Full-back
- Abbie Greetham – Midfielder
- Becca Slevin – Midfielder & Club Captain
- Rebecca Niblett – Midfielder
- Abbie Luby – Winger
A number of younger players who made significant contributions last season also remain with the squad:
Suzie Urban, Freya Farmery, Alesha Beach, Michaela Beach, Emily Hall, and Beth Miller.
The Beach twins enjoyed standout seasons — Alesha earned the Manager’s Player of the Season, while Michaela was voted Players’ Player of the Season.
Another exciting development sees fan favourite Nicole Adams return to action following a long spell on the sidelines. Nicole will be available for selection on Sunday.
New Signings: Strengthening the Squad
Supporters will get their first look at new signing Anna Watson, a defender whose previous clubs include Basingstoke. Watson joins Margate after a break from the game and is excited to get going:
“I was impressed by the setup and standard at the club, as well as their ambition to win the league this season — it aligned with what I hoped to achieve coming back to eleven-a-side football.”
In addition, two promising talents from the Margate Development Team, Katie George and Danielle Herlihy, will feature in Sunday’s squad following strong recommendations from Development Manager Karl Smith, who continues to play a vital role in bridging players from the youth ranks to the first team.
A special highlight this weekend will be the involvement of Anna Butova, a Panna World Champion, who has impressed in pre-season training and earns her spot in the senior squad for Sunday’s match.
Leadership for Sunday
With club captain Becca Slevin and vice-captain Rebecca Niblett unavailable, Abbie Greetham will wear the armband for the first pre-season fixture. Speaking ahead of the campaign, Greetham shared her excitement:
“This season gives us a great opportunity to show what a talented and cohesive squad we are. Our aim is to contend for the league title and have good runs in the cups — especially the FA Cup. We’ve worked incredibly hard and can’t wait to get started.”
Looking Ahead
Margate Women will enter the 2025/26 Adobe FA Cup in the Preliminary Round, scheduled for Sunday 24th August.
Fixture Details:
Ashford United vs Margate Women
Date: Sunday, August 3rd
Kick-Off: 3:30pm
Venue: Green Box Stadium
Ashford United FC
Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, TN26 1NJ
