Margate travel to The Aquatherm Stadium this evening to face a confident Faversham Town side currently flying high in the Isthmian South East Division.
The Lilywhites, newly promoted from the SCEFL Premier Division last season, have made an impressive start to life back in the Isthmian League. Under the guidance of manager Tommy Warrilow, they sit second in the table and are riding high after a memorable 1-0 victory away at National League South outfit Maidenhead United in the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round.
Faversham have been particularly strong at home, registering back-to-back wins in the league at Salters Lane — beating Deal Town 6-1 and Ashford United 3-1 — scoring nine goals across the two fixtures.
Margate arrive with growing momentum after securing two wins in the past week, but manager Ben Greenhalgh faces a number of injury concerns. Striker Tom Derry suffered a fractured ankle following a late challenge in Saturday’s match and is expected to be sidelined for 6–8 weeks.
Further injuries to Max Walsh, Kai Garande and Emmanuel Oke stretch squad options, while the availability of Louie Atkins will be subject to a late fitness test.
With Margate U18’s in FA Youth Cup action at Hartsdown Park this evening against Welling United, opportunities to call upon youth players are limited.
There is, however, a boost with experienced defender Ronnie Vint set to return and provide cover, while Greenhalgh continues working on potential reinforcements ahead of kick-off.
Competitive meetings between Margate and Faversham have been rare in recent years, with just three encounters in the past 13 years. Encouragingly for Gate fans, Margate have won all three, including a dominant 5-0 win at Salters Lane in the 2022 Kent Senior Cup — a game that featured a Korrey Henry hat-trick and a brace from Eddie Dsane.
Match Details
Kick-Off: 7:45pm
Venue: Aquatherm Stadium, Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8ND
Competition: Isthmian South East Division
Kit Colours: Blue Tops, Blue Shorts
