The Blues had a great afternoon traveling as they continued to win, picking up a crucial three points and maintaining a clean sheet in a Kent Derby!
On Sunday afternoon, Margate FC Women traveled to The Gallagher Stadium to play their season-ending matchup against Maidstone United. It was going to be a demanding afternoon of football because the host team, under new management, was struggling to stay above the relegation zone.
In the first minute of the match, the ‘Gate was the one that started off strong, creating the possibility of an early goal. Georgina Riley, the stand-in ‘keeper, did a good job neutralizing the threat and preventing Maidstone from falling behind early.
The match continued to play in Margate’s favour, with strong link up play and pace on the wings playing to their advantage. This led to several threats for the Maidstone defence as Rebecca Niblett, Esmee Kew-Stroud, Katy Hyde and Paige Godden all placed shots on target.
More pressure was applied to Maidstone’s defense in the second half, as they came out of the blocks aggressively. Riley was put through several tests once more. When Speller regained possession of the ball in the 68th minute, Kew-Stroud was the recipient.
On the edge of the 18-yard box, Kew-Stroud danced past two midfielders before skillfully delivering a through ball to Niblett, who scored. Riley blocked the shot admirably, but Godden was the one to seize the rebound and turn the tide of the match in Margate’s favor by slotting the ball behind the goalkeeper and into the lower right corner.
After a series of quick-fire shots in the 78th minute, Emily Hall collected a rebound in the six-yard box that appeared headed for goal when a Maidstone defender made a handball. Penalty! Hall scored from the spot, sending the ball down the right side of the keeper to give the Gate a three-goal lead. At the final siren, the ‘Gate’ had maintained a clean sheet and had three goals in the bag, leaving the home team with much to regret. Manager Steph Meek stated:
“For me, this win was unlike any other. It wasn’t a big fixture nor was it a cup or anything significant in our diaries but Maidstone for many years were a well-structured and dominant team. Today we dominated!
There were two possible outcomes for the match, given that Maidstone is now above the relegation zone. Either the team would have low standards or, with new management, they would show up with a strong will to raise the stakes a little.
“We frequently witness a decline in our own football standards when we face less organized teams, but this week we didn’t witness that. Up to the very last siren, we were genuinely unwavering. During the last fifteen minutes, I don’t believe the ball entered our half.
Speller, Kemp, Charman, Coltham-Lai, King, Noblett, Slevin, Greetham, Hyde, Kew-Stroud, Godden are the starting eleven.
Subs: Hall (’60), Scales (’75), Duff (’75), Meek
Goals Niblett 27′ Godden 70′ Hall 78′
POTM: Emily Hall
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