Margate eased to victory in the Medway Towns in the First Round of the Kent Reliance Cup.

A second half goal from left back Freddie Grant gave the visitors the solitary goal that was enough to beat the Chats and was the least the away side deserved for their dominance throughout.

Margate’s clever passing and pressing was too much for the home side and away keeper Tommy Beadle was a spectator for the majority of the game. For all of Margate’s dominance, their shooting was wayward, both Luke Williams and Zac Attwood wasting good opportunities.

It was a Chatham player who came closest however to giving the away side the lead, Lewis Knight narrowly heading over his own goal from Anthony Riviere inswinging left wing cross. Margate consistently flooded forward with Lewis Taylor and Luke Moore to the fore of the majority of their attacks but it wasn’t until the second half that they forced the keeper into a meaningful save.

Jamie Taylor and Moore combined down the left before Taylor shot right footed low down to Tom Wellham right. Margate continued to press with Zac Attwood firing straight at the keeper.

Midway through the second half and Margate almost took the lead. Moore and Attwood played a one-two in the inside left and Moore was put through on goal. Wellham saved before Liam Hickey cleared up.

In the build up to the play, there was a foul on Attwood, and the referee pulled the play back and from the resulting free kick, Moore’s effort was parried away down to the keepers left.

Wave after wave of attack battered the home defence and with 20 minutes remaining a short corner routine found Taylor 6 yards out but he somehow manage to place his header right at the keeper, anywhere else and Margate would have taken the lead.

Two minutes later and the visitors finally took the lead and it was some effort too. Left back Freddie Grant strode forward, beat two players before cutting in and curling in a right footed effort into the top corner.

Up to this stage, Chatham had offered nothing coming forward and they were to offer nothing until the dying embers. After a scramble in the penalty area following a corner, the ball fell to centre half Lewis Knight 8 yards out.

His volley was excellently saved by Beadle in the Margate goal, diving low to his right to push behind for a corner. The resulting corner nearly found home goalkeeper Tom Wellham who had sneaked up unnoticed but the corner just evaded his head and that was that, Margate are through to the next round.

 

 

Chatham: Wellham, Potter© ( Webber 77), Collins, Taylor, Hickey, Knight, Phillip (Loft 62), Holder (Edwards 27), Gacheru, Kaffo, Benbow

Subs not used: Kidman, Hawkins

Margate: Beadle, Eyons, Grant, Williams, Wassmer (Beales 45), Johnson ©, Taylor (Phipp 64), Riviere, Taylor, Attwood, Moore

Subs not used: Cash, Allen, Moss