MATCHDAY SPONSOR: GRAEME POYSER MATCHBALL SPONSOR: BUSINESS IMAGES
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Good afternoon and welcome back to Hartsdown Park for the first pre-season game of what we hope will be a monumental year for the ‘Gate’. A massive thank you to Neal, Erik, Iver and Nigel for bringing the boys down for their first friendly. The Dons have made several fantastic signings in the summer with a strike force that is capable of hurting any back four in the League. Stuart and I were lucky enough to enjoy over five years of success at Wimbledon. A club that is truly a fans owned club run by the fans for the supporters. Memories of Staines, Hampton & Richmond and of course Manchester will be with us forever. We both look forward to meeting up with all of the many friends we have made during our time at Kingsmeadow, best wishes for the season. Talking of signings, I am pretty happy with the ten new boys that we have captured this summer. Bob and Ivan have given Stuart and myself the tools to drive Margate back into the top echelons of Conference football.
Over the next few years we will hopefully embark on a journey that will bring its own magical memories as we look forward to writing our own history in which we restore Margate to the very top of Kent Football.
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Today is our second game since the boys returned to training. The visit to Dublin provided us with five training sessions and a game against UCD from the Irish Premier League. I have never played a friendly in June before, especially against such a talented, young side. There was many positives to take from the trip. The facilities were first class and the Irish people were a joy to be with. Bob took us all for a great meal after the game overlooking the River Liffey followed by a walk over the River to Temple Bar for a sing song and a Guinness or two. We then embarked on a Rickshaw ride across Dublin (never again) to a Club that managed to accommodate us all, I think it is fair to say I might have been the oldest person to have ever visited. Anyway, Stuart and I made a few shapes before we said farewell to Ireland. I hope both sets of fans enjoy today’s game before hopefully a special season for both clubs. All the best,
Terry
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ood afternoon and welcome to Hartsdown Park for what is set to be an exciting season for us all here at Margate Football Club. I hope our visitors today AFC Wimbledon enjoy their short stay with us on the South Coast.
The off season is always the busy time of year for myself. We have held several Academy trials which have been highly successful with a good turnout of some very good footballers. We have a new partnership in terms of our education provider for our Academy. With two very successful years partnered with Hartsdown Academy we felt the time was right to have the whole Football Academy delivered here at Margate FC. We have agreed a new partnership with a very well known education provider called Soccer Coaching Limited. SCL have partnerships with West Ham, Fulham, Charlton and many more successful football clubs further up the pyramid so I am extremely excited about the new partnership. We will be entered into the KSFA Academy League and will have opportunities to play against the three big sides mentioned earlier which will be a great opportunity to test ourselves against some very good footballers.
I am also extremely excited about the appointment of a new Educational and Community Director Russell Sullivan who has joined the Football Club. With the fantastic work we have already completed in the past three years, Russell is going to be a massive part of the way we will look to expand in terms of our Community and Education plan. Russell will be able to provide vital links to any potential new Primary and Secondary schools, which we feel is extremely important for our development as a Football Club. We have our ‘Festival of Football’ coming up where we will be delivering our Summer Soccer Schools over the summer holidays. Hosted on our Margate Football Five-a-side Centre from 10am-3pm we will be coaching skills and techniques in the morning, followed by lunch and free time. This is followed by a cross bar challenge and a World Cup style tournament in the afternoon. Each week is priced at £40 per child and is a great way for your children to stay active and enjoy football in our safe and secure environment while being coached by our fully FA qualified coaches. For more information on these please e-mail me at wayne.wilson@margate-fc.com On Wednesday 6th and 20th of August we have been invited onto Margate beach to use our brand new inflatable pitch. The inflatable pitch is a football perimeter with 1m high walls and goals and is an exciting new way to play football. With the World Cup being hosted in Brazil which is home to one of the most famous beaches in the World we are bringing the World Cup to the Thanet Beaches. Keep an eye on our new website www.margate-fc.co.uk for more information on these events. I’ll finish off by saying that we have a fantastic squad being built at Margate FC with a fantastic Management team in place, however, we acknowledge that in order for the whole club to progress in line with the first team we will we need to involve the whole community. I speak to the loyal fans who have been there on cold Tuesday nights to get together and support our football club and its hopeful rise up the Football Pyramid.
All the best, Wayne Wilson, Head of Football in the Community
The aim in the camp is to win the league, that’s what everyone’s building towards Margate Defender Sam Rents is looking forward to an exciting season at Hartsdown Park under the Management of Terry Brown and Stuart Cash. The 27 year old joined the ‘Gate’ last season shortly after the arrival of Brown and he is now looking forward to seeing the ‘Blues’ build on their positive end to last season.
“The aim in the camp is to win the league, that’s what everyone’s building towards. Obviously everyone else in the league probably think we’re big time Charlie’s and arrogant so every game we play this season our opponents will be raising their games”. “We’ve got more ability than any team in the league but we need to make sure we’re working as hard as them as well. In this league that’s half the battle, if you work harder than the other team, nine times out of ten you’ll win the battle”, added the former Brighton & Hove Albion full-back. Rents is looking forward to facing League Two side AFC Wimbledon this afternoon after the squad returned from Ireland where they played their first pre-season fixture against Airtricity Premier League side UCD AFC. “It was difficult, you can run and run as much as you want but match fitness is completely different. It was a big pitch against good opposition but everyone felt fit. It was more the sharpness, but we showed good signs, some good play and everyone has a decent understanding of everyone’s game already and that’s only going to get better”.
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With ten new faces arriving at Hartsdown Park over the summer, Rents is certain that the squad Brown and Cash have built is a vast improvement on last seasons. “We’ve got a lot more legs in midfield this year; Lewis Taylor in particular got up and down well and looked tidy on the ball. The standard has raised a lot since last season, on the whole we’ve got a lot more ability, and we’re an all-round better team”. In terms of the season ahead, Rents acknowledges that there will be some pressure put on themselves but they are more than capable of dealing with any external pressure from other sides in the League. “The pressure’s there but we have to deal with that. The gaffer and Cashy have bought all the players in now so we have to back them. We know where we should be this season but we need to make sure we apply ourselves so that we
Former Kit Man and Lifelong Fan Ron Hewett Passes Away Margate Football Club were saddened to hear of the death of lifelong fan and former Kit Man Ron Hewett. Ron, was an avid Margate fan that followed the Club all his life with his first involvement in 1946.
Mr Hewett will also be remembered for his time as Margate FC Kit man mainly through the Chris Kinnear era as the club enjoyed its success in the Nationwide Conference In more recent years Ron would be seen every week in the stands cheering on his beloved Margate and will be missed by all at MFC and its fans that remember him so fondly. For Ron, the club placed a small tribute to where Ron would be seated in the stand watching on his beloved Margate. The club would like to extend its condolences to Ron’s family and friends at this difficult time.
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Club news FA Cup and FA Trophy Draws Made at Wembley Terry Browns side will travel in the FA Cup to either Erith & Belvedere, AFC Croydon or Folkestone Invicta. The fixture is scheduled to be played on Saturday 13th September. The winners of the tie will receive £3,000. In the Trophy Margate will host Slough Town at home. Slough who stunned the Blues in 2012 in the FA Cup after snatching a 1-0 win at Hartsdown Park will face the Blues again on Saturday 1st November. The winners will receive £2,700. Manager Terry Brown is expecting two difficult Cup fixtures no matter who the Blues face in the FA Cup. “In Ireland we told the players that both Cups would be taken extremely seriously. Whoever you draw at this stage of the Cups is somewhat of an unknown quantity”.
Fans Forum The Margate FC Fans Forum took place on 4th July with Chairman Bob Laslett and Manager Terry Brown outlining the changes already implemented and the outlook for the future. Laslett explained that he’s determined to make Margate “a top club, both on and off the field” but what happens on the pitch is key, “firstly we need to win matches”. "I’m excited for the new season, there's some good talent in the squad", he added. He also went on to clarify what changes he’s made since he took over the club, ranging from new staff and players to a Championship quality programme and improved floodlights. When Terry Brown stepped up he described what kind of squad he’s assembled and what he expects of them. “I’ve got good players, great characters; if you look at the average age of our squad, we’ve gone for young hungry players”. He went on to say that it won’t be easy though, as “we’ve got 46 cup finals, everyone will want to beat Margate”. However, he appeased fans guaranteeing “you'll see passion and good attacking football next season”.
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Match reports UCD Athletic 3 - 0 Margate Margate began their pre-season campaign with a spirited display against Airtricity Irish Premier League side UCD. Despite losing 3-0 thanks to three goals in the final 15 minutes, there was plenty of positives for Terry Brown as he gave all 19 available players some time on the field. With the promise of two different sides in each half, the Margate fans who made the journey would have been impressed with what they had seen against a side on their mid-season break. It was the 'Gate' in their new orange kit that started brightly with both new strike partners Ryan Moss and Zac Attwood testing the home keeper. Attwood only lasted 19 minutes though as he landed awkwardly after challenging in the air, meaning Jason Prior was introduced for his Margate debut. It was the former Bognor Regis man who almost immediately fired the Gate in front as his fierce shot stung the hands of the UCD keeper.
As the game drifted towards the half time break it was clear that the Dublin heat was effecting both sides. With the score still at 0-0 the break, Brown made seven changes. Included in them changes was young Keeper Tom Beadle, new signing Luke Williams and last seasons regulars Sam Rents and Anthony Riviere. Again it was Margate who should have taken the lead as Prior hit the post before Moss struck a fierce effort that flew inches wide. The game looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw until 15 minutes from the end when the Irish Premier League side stepped it up a gear and scored three quick goals. Firstly, a well struck free kick beat the young Beadle before two further superb goals were added to give the Irish side a 3-0 win.
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AFC WIMBLEDON Neal Ardley
Manager Neal was appointed AFC Wimbledon manager in October 2012 following the departure of Terry Brown the previous month. His first season as a first-team manager, one in which several teams’ form changed dramatically, he secured the Dons’ League Two position on the final day. Neil Cox
Assistant Manager Neil, who played alongside Neal Ardley at both Watford and Cardiff City, was also appointed in October 2012. As a player he made over 600 senior appearances, either at right-back or in central defence. Simon Bassey
Coach First-team coach who acted as caretaker manager for a three-week spell in 2012 until the appointment of Neal Ardley. Halfway through 2006/07 he became first-team coach. Ross Worner Ross was signed in June 2013 after being released by Aldershot Town. In 2013/14 he was in goal for all but two AFC Wimbledon first-team games. Barry Fuller Experienced right-back signed in May 2013 from Barnet, who released him after their relegation from League Two. He was appointed club vice captain for the 2013/14 season. Last season Barry was almost ever-present fir the Dons, and his consistency and rugged performances earned him the Player of the Year award. Jack Smith
Defender signed in July 2014 following his release by Millwall. Jack came through Watford’s youth system and made his mark in the first team in 2003/04, in the same Hornets side as Neal Ardley. Dannie Bulman Experienced central midfielder who signed for the Dons in June 2014. Dannie made 43 appearances for the Reds last season. Andy Frampton Wimbledon-born left-back Andy, who has made over 370 Football League starts in 16 seasons,. Andy made 31 appearances for the Dons last season, scoring four goals.
Alan Bennett Irish international centre-back signed in February 2013, the day after his contract was terminated by Cheltenham Town. He was made club captain for the 2013/14 season, and made 32 starts.
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George Francomb Right-back who can also play in midfield. George’s assured performances in his first full season with AFC Wimbledon and his four goals saw him voted Young Player of the Year. Sammy Moore
Sammy is currently AFC Wimbledon’s longest-serving player, the only survivor from the team that won promotion from the Conference in 2011. He was almost ever-present in 2011/12, and at the end of that season was voted Player of the Year. Matt Tubbs Striker signed in June 2014 on a season-long loan from AFC Bournemouth. His 40 goals in 48 appearances helped Crawley to win promotion from the Conference in 2010/11. Adebayo Akinfenwa Powerful and experienced forward signed in June 2014 after his release by Gillingham the previous month. Since 2008, “The Beast”, as he likes to be known, has averaged over 15 League goals a season.
Sean Rigg Sean became Neal Ardley’s first close-season signing of 2014 following his release by Oxford United. The winger, who can also play as a striker, made 75 appearances in his two seasons with the Yellows. Harry Pell Tall midfielder signed from Hereford United at the end of the January 2013 transfer window. made 29 starts for the Dons last season, made another seven appearances as a substitute, and chipped in with four goals. Adebayo Azeez
Young striker signed in June 2014 from Charlton Athletic, where he graduated from the youth system to sign professional forms in 2011. “Ade” made one appearance for the Addicks, coming off the bench in an FA Cup tie in January 2013. Mark Phillips Experienced centre-back signed in June 2014. Mark spent the end of last season on loan at Aldershot Town. Kevin Sainte-Luce Pacy winger born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and raised in Paris. Kevin has been used mainly as an impact substitute, coming off the bench 20 times last season, though he did make four starts. Jake Nicholson Attacking midfielder who joined the Dons on loan in February 2014 after a successful trial and signed a full contract in the summer.
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AFC WIMBLEDON Chris Arthur Left-sided midfielder who can also play at left-back, signed in May 2013 from Havant & Waterlooville. Chris played 28 times for the Dons in 2013/14, all but three of those appearances as a substitute. James Shea Talented young keeper signed in July 2014 on the recommendation of Harrow Borough (and former Dons) manager Dave Anderson. A former Arsenal youth player, he made the bench for a Champions League tie in 2012. Tom Beere Comfortable in central midfield or out wide, Tom signed a new professional contract in May 2014. He has featured for the Development Squad and in county cup games, scoring the winner for the Dons in the 2014 London Senior Cup Final. Will Nightingale Powerful centre-back who has been with the club since the age of nine. He turned down the offer of an extended trial with Crystal Palace and was offered his first professional contract with the Dons in April 2014. George Oakley Tall, strong centre-forward who joined the Dons at the age of 12 and was given his first full professional contract last May. He made the bench once for the first team last season, and scored the opening goal in the 2014 London Senior Cup Final. Ashley Bayes Goalkeeping coach and back-up keeper who joined the club in June 2013.
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A TO Z In this running feature we’ll scroll through the alphabet, looking at former players, rival clubs and much more along the way, obviously starting with…
Appiah Kwesi Appiah wrote his name into Margate’s recent history with a devastating vein of form that saw him hit the headlines in 2011/12. Appiah signed a two-year deal with The Gate on 25 July 2011 and went on an unbelievable scoring spree, netting 35 goals in 34 games for the club. His great run of form this attracted a number of professional clubs and after he was initially linked with a move to Blackpool, he joined Crystal Palace in January 2012.
ALLEN Current midfielder Charlie Allen shares his surname with three other players from Margate’s history. Firstly we had striker Derek, who scored twice in 11 appearances back in 1958/59. Next we had Jeff; he made five starts for the Blues in two spells at the club, notching one goal from midfield. Most recently, left back Danny played just one game for us in the 2006/07 season.
Amato Just like Appiah, Phil Amato was a natural goalscorer and a fans favourite.. Amato joined Margate in September 1966 and went on to score 107 goals in his 181 appearances. Once described as a ‘goal scoring enigma’ by the Isle of Thanet Gazette, Amato was one of the former Margate players that attended the club’s ‘Legends Day’ in April this year.
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TOM
POSITIO
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JOINED
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MMY BEADLE
ON: GOALKEEPER AGE: 18
OINED FROM:
MILLWALL
UKE WILLIAMS
ITION: MIDFIELD AGE: 24
D FROM: HAYES & YEADING
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ON THIS DAY... Former Margate FC goalkeeper Graham Roope was born on 12 th July 1946. Although his Margate career was pretty short lived, he managed just two appearances, he is known in the sporting world as a former England cricketer. Primarily a batsman, Roope played 21 Test Matches for England, also representing Berkshire, Surrey and Griqualand West (South Africa) at County level. Roope joined Margate FC in the 1975/76 season, signed up as a stopgap replacement for the injured Steve Bowtell. He made his debut in a 2 -1 defeat at Gravesend & Northfleet on 25.10.75 and then played in the home game against Dunstable the following Saturday. However, after Margate lost 5-1 he left the club and gave up football altogether. He sadly died on 26.11.06 whilst on holiday in Grenada, celebrating his 60th birthday. At the time of his death Graham was one of only two people to have played football for Margate and cricket for England, Alan Brown being the other.
Thanks to Jeff Trice for the information for this feature. Visit his fantastic Margate history website at www.margatefchistory.com
Margate supporters club Here we go again the start of the annual adventure, a magical, mystery tour via points north and west the final destination, well who really knows? There’s a difference this time around; even the old stagers harking back to the days of amber and black will feel their nerve ends jingling, the butterflies churning in their stomachs, the sense that this is a new beginning full of achievable promise. Welcome to our own Javelin, enjoy the ride.
We are privileged to receive AFC Wimbledon to Hartsdown a club which in its reconstituted state has written itself into football folklore, a true fairy tale. They are currently three steps ahead of us, our ambition to replicate the same kind of progress. To achieve what they did in such a short space of time must have required some extraordinary able people at the helm. I wonder who they were?! Hartsdown will be a sadder place, emptier place following the sudden, unexpected death of Ron Hewett. Connected with the club in all the post-war years he was part of the furniture on match days in recent times always to be found in his favourite seat. Our thoughts at this time are with his wife Kath along with Carol, David and their families. We’ll miss you Ron. As the club has moved forward so has the supporters’ association. The first obvious sign of our transformation is the re-naming to Margate Supporters Club. Further details about the direction in which we are moving will be revealed in subsequent programme notes.
No doubt included in the attendees today will be some who have come along with a certain curiosity, we hope your tastebuds are satisfied enough to be convinced that the experience is worth repeating throughout the Ryman League season and any cup ties should we be fortunate to be drawn at home. Enjoy the day.
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WORDSEARCH Can you find the 10 new players that have joined Margate for the 2014/15 season?
ATWOOD / BEADLE BENNETT / JOHNSON MOORE / MOSS PRIOR / TAYLOR WILLIAMS / WILLS
Spot the ball competition A
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World cup trivia 1. What player scored a brace for Colombia in their 2-0 second round 1 win against Uruguay? 2
2. Which Premier League club does USA goalkeeper Tim Howard play for?
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3. What nationality is current World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo?
answers
4. Which two players scored England’s only goals of the tournament? 5. What is the name of Ghana’s manager? (Hint: he shares the name of one of our former strikers)
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Spot the Ball Competition: C1. World Cup Trivia: 1. James Rodriguez, 2. Everton, 3. Portugal, 4. Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney, 5. Kwesi Appiah
Away guide DOVER ATHLETIC (19TH JULY) Ticket Price: Adults - ÂŁ5, Under 11s - Free
By car: At the Whitfield roundabout, turn down Whitfield Hill. At the bottom of the hill turn left at the roundabout and follow this road until the first set of traffic lights. At the lights turn right (180 degrees down the hill) and follow the road under the railway bridge, the ground is a little further up on the left. There is no parking within the ground, although parking is available in the rugby ground, just inside the main entrance. By train: The main railway station in Dover is Dover Priory, which is approximately 2 miles from Crabble. The closest station to Crabble is Kearsney which is about a 10-15 minute walk from the ground.
FOLKESTONE INVICTA (22ND JULY) Ticket Price: TBC
By car: The Fullicks Stadium is located near the M20 motorway, if you are coming from outside Folkestone. Drive on the M20, and take an exit before the A20. Continue to drive along the Cherry Garden Avenue, and you should be able to see the stadium from there. By train: The stadium is nearest to two railway stations; Folkestone West and Folkestone Central. Plan your journey accordingly and be sure your train will stop at one of these stations. Walking distance from the station is approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
By bus: There is an available bus route that can stop outside the stadium. The route numbers are 101 and/or 102
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