By David Hansen
Margate Women continued their pre-season preparations in style with a resounding 9-1 victory over Sittingbourne Women at the Staxson Stadium.
With several first-team regulars unavailable, the rest of the squad were given a chance to impress—and they certainly rose to the occasion.
It was actually the hosts who struck first, taking the lead after 15 minutes with a well-hit effort from the edge of the area that beat Suzie Urban.
Margate responded swiftly, levelling through an own goal before going ahead just before half-time. Abbie Greetham produced a moment of real quality, bringing the ball under control and striking home from 30 yards into the far corner.
The second half belonged entirely to Margate, who showed their superiority with six goals in just 15 minutes, blowing the game away.
The flurry began 10 minutes after the restart when Shannon King played in Michaela Beach, who drove into the box and calmly finished into the bottom corner. Moments later, Greetham struck again, rifling in from 18 yards.
On her first appearance of pre-season, Elena Brock got herself on the scoresheet twice in quick succession—first dinking over the keeper from close range after a fine cross by new signing Natalie Ribas, then converting another Ribas delivery with a neat finish through the goalkeeper’s legs.
Margate’s relentless spell continued as Adams opened her account for the season, meeting a superb corner from King with a well-placed header into the top corner.
In the closing stages, Margate added two more. Another excellent King corner found Adams, who cleverly cushioned her header into the path of Alesha Beach for a composed finish. Then, in added time, Adams launched a long ball from halfway that was brilliantly controlled by Michaela Beach, who powered home her third of the afternoon to complete her hat-trick and seal an emphatic win.
Final Score: Sittingbourne Women 1–9 Margate Women
Margate now turn their attention to their next pre-season fixture at Hartsdown Park on Saturday 31st August, when George Adams’ side host Billericay Town U23s (kick-off 4:00pm).
Line-up
Urban, A. Beach, Greetham, M. Beach, Brock, Marsh, Adams, Miller, Parnham, Ribas, Hadler
Substitutes: Manning, King, Trialist
Goalscorers
Own Goal, Greetham (2), M. Beach (3), Brock (2), Adams, A. Beach
