By David Hansen
Margate Women return to action this weekend at Hartsdown Park, as they host Cray Wanderers in the Southern East Counties Women’s Football League. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:30pm.
The fixture gives Margate the opportunity to respond to their earlier Adobe Women’s FA Cup defeat against Cray, where Shannon King’s strike was a consolation in a tough afternoon at Flamingo Park.
Cray were narrowly eliminated in the following round of the FA Cup, losing 4-3 at Ashford Town despite a hat-trick from Millie Main. Their league form has started strongly, most recently recording an emphatic 8-0 win over Betteshanger Welfare, with Sarah White, Maddie Bone and Jessica Oldfield among the goals – a result that puts them top of the table after two matches.
Last season, the sides played out a 3-3 draw at Hartsdown Park before Cray claimed a 3-1 victory at Flamingo Park on their way to finishing 3rd in the division, level on points with Tonbridge Angels in 2nd.
Team News
Margate will be without Katie George and Anna Watson, both sidelined through injury. Their absences see Abbie Greetham and Ruby Mann come into the squad.
From the Dugout
Manager George Adams is expecting another tough challenge but remains encouraged by his side’s progress:
“We are hoping for a different performance than the last time we faced Cray. Although the results at the start of the season haven’t been exactly what we hoped for, the performances have been largely positive and have improved every week.
A few small errors have unravelled the positives from a results point of view. Ultimately, football is a results-based game, but my biggest focus is making sure the players are developing themselves each week and that we continue to grow as a group.
It is a young team, and it’s a testament to them to see their improvements each week – even when the results aren’t what we want.”
Margate will be aiming to build on those improvements and deliver a strong display in front of the home supporters.
