With a trip to Northampton Town in the First Round Proper the prize dangled before both sides ahead of tonight’s replay, Margate were comfortably beaten by Ryman Premier Harrow Borough.
As on Saturday, Borough opened the scoring through Francis Babalola’s 38th minute strike. Elliott Buchanan raised the spirits temporarily on 55 to draw Margate level, but poor defending allowed Lewis Driver to head Harrow back in front 12 minutes later, and the impressive Ibrahim Meite capped off a fine performance with the third on 80.
Before the game, a Margate supporter had drawn comparisons to a cup run 48 years ago, when Margate had defeated Hastings in the third Qualifying Round before going on to play Northampton Town in the First Round Proper. Tonight it wasn’t to be.
From the start, Margate looked uncertain from Harrow Borough set pieces, as twice in the opening three minutes, Josh Webb’s delivery from the left corner found men in red free inside the box. Shaun Preddie and Francis Babalola had free headers from their respective crosses, but neither could hit the target. Preddie also tried an audacious 45-yard effort which slid wide as Harrow looked the more likely.
Margate were struggling to retain the ball in the visitor’s half, and were almost made to pay as Lewis Driver, the scorer of Saturday’s late equaliser, played in left-back Webb behind the Margate defence. Webb unleashed a left foot shot that rattled off the face of the cross bar.
Harry Newman was teasing Chris Sessegnon on the left side of the pitch and was delivering dangerous crosses into the middle, often Nicky Bull was being drawn from his line to negate the threat.
Margate’s first sight of goal came after 26 minutes, as a Bull goalkick was flicked on by Matthew Johnson for Daniel Akindayini to break in behind the defence. Michael Peacock was pressurising the forward as he reached the penalty area, forcing Akindayini to fire over the bar.
Harrow broke quickly from a Margate corner allowing Newman to deliver another cross, having evaded a wild sliding challenge by Alex Osborn in his run. The ball flew across the face of goal and Driver couldn’t direct his header on target.
It took over half an hour for the best of Margate’s play to appear. Luke Moore and Adam Cash combined to send Sessegnon in behind the left back and deliver a low cross into the Harrow area, that Elliott Buchanan curled over with a first time shot.
Buchanan and Cash than worked the ball deep into the right corner, where Cash’s low cross just evaded Akindayini’s slide. But Moore had burst into the middle of the box and his shot struck Preddie, who had covered on the line.
Just as Margate were having their best spell of the half, Harrow Borough hit the front on 38. From a Margate corner, the Harrow players swarmed forward quickly. Driver held the ball up on the edge of the Margate box and set a pass into the path of Babalola, who curled his shot round Bull’s dive.
Just before the interval, Osborn was sent sprawling while in full flight just outside the box by Lewis Ochoa, who somehow escaped punishment despite being the last man. Buchanan took responsibility for the set-piece, curling a low shot round the left side of the wall, but also past the left post.
There was still time for the dangerous runner, Ibrahim Meite, who has been trialling at Premier League champions Leicester City, to set up a chance from the right for Driver, but the forward’s tame shot was into the arms of Bull.
Early in the second half, Meite picked up a long goalkick and weaved his way through three challenges into the area, before dragging a left foot shot across the face of goal.
Margate needed something special to lift their performance and the crowd, and it came from the industry of Akindayini. There seemed to be no danger for Harrow as Ochoa was looking to clear from inside his own 6-yard box. Akindayini thought put pressure on the full-back, eventually winning the ball and laying it into the path of Buchanan, who lashed his shot into the net via the goalkeeper’s chest and right post; the shot too hot for the keeper to react to.
Meite showed that the goal hadn’t affected Borough, rising unchallenged from a corner to head wide, and their second goal wasn’t long in coming, with Meite central to the build-up. The wiry forward worked his way into the left side of the area and, despite a challenge from Manny Parry, fired a shot against the chest of Bull. The rebound looped into the air and, even with two men running back towards the line, Lewis Driver headed home.
Meite seemed to be running a one-man crusade to beat Bull, but time after time, the Margate player-manager stood up tall to make crucial saves; a strong left hand to turn a powerful drive away for a corner, then quickly off his line to smother Meite’s shot as the forward held off Danny Fitzsimmons.
With the home side throwing more and more men forward, Meite finally registered with ten minutes remaining. A long clearance caught the Margate defence going man for man, which allowed Meite time to find space on the edge of the box, and rifle a low shot to Bull’s left.
Moore tried to raise the spirits with a shot from the edge of the box, but straight at Luke Williams, and it was too little, too late as Harrow comfortably saw out time.
MARGATE: Nicky Bull, Chris Sessegnon (Yado Mambo 78), Aaron Tumwa, Matthew Johnson, Danny Fitzsimmons, Manny Parry, Luke Moore, Adam Cash (Michael Thalassitis 71), Elliott Buchanan, Daniel Akindayini (Marcel Barrington 76), Alex Osborn.
Sub not used: Alfie Foster.
Goals: Elliott Buchanan 55
Cautions: Luke Moore 16, Yado Mambo 86, Michael Thalassitis 88
HARROW BOROUGH: Luke Williams, Lewis Ochoa, Josh Webb, Shaun Preddie, Michael Peacock, Mark McLeod (George Nicholas 75), Francis Babalola, Joshua Webb, Ibrahim Meite, Lewis Driver (Marc Charles-Smith 78), Harry Newman (Michael Bryan 88).
Subs not used: Steve Brown, David Taylor, Maxwell Holland.
Goals: Francis Babalola 38, Lewis Driver 67, Ibrahim Meite 80
Cautions: Francis Babalola 65
Attendance: 575
Referee: Mr David Spain
Assistants: Mr Jacob Miles and Mr James Simpson
Fourth Official: Mr Nick Dunn