Margate Women endured a tough start to their SECWFL Premier Division campaign with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of a strong Maidstone United side at Hartsdown Park on Sunday afternoon.
Manager George Adams made several changes from the previous week’s cup exit at Cray Wanderers, including the return of Nicole Adams and Anna Butova to the starting XI.
The ‘Gate nearly made the perfect start when Abbie Greetham played in Butova, who saw her initial effort well saved before striking the rebound against the post. Unfortunately, that proved to be the closest Margate came to finding the net.
Maidstone gradually took control of the match and signalled their intent when a swirling corner crashed off the crossbar. The warning signs were there, and two quickfire goals in the 37th and 39th minutes gave the visitors a firm grip on the contest.
A third followed just before half-time, with another corner from the right turned home to leave Margate facing an uphill battle in the second half.
The second half began much like the first ended, with Maidstone asserting their dominance. They had the ball in the net again on 52 minutes, but the effort was ruled out for offside. However, they didn’t have to wait long to extend their lead, adding a fourth goal in the 58th minute.
Despite the scoreline, Margate keeper Suzie Urban produced a number of impressive saves to keep the deficit from growing further. Nonetheless, Maidstone completed their scoring in the 64th minute to round off a convincing performance.
Manager George Adams and his team will be looking to bounce back quickly as they return to Hartsdown Park on Sunday, 21st September to face Betteshanger Welfare in their next SECWFL Premier Division fixture. Kick-off is at 4:30pm.
