Margate completed the double over Thamesmead Town with a ground out win at a cold Hartsdown Park after a contest that left both managers far from happy.

Gate boss Terry Brown was understandably relieved and happy to have got the three points, but Thamesmead supremo Keith McMahon, was far from happy at what he’d seen. He said, “I’m not frustrated – I’m angry to be fair!”

“I thought my lads were absolutely super only for the game to be absolutely spoiled by a diabolical referee. He’s easily the weakest one we’ve had this season – but it was for both sides.”

“We’re lucky that we’re not at the local A&E with the challenge in the first half (on Josh Hill); it summed him up; an absolute disgrace.”

“If Josh had been standing on it it would have snapped his leg in half. And then his reaction? Well it was a disgrace – referees like that need taking off the League, they shouldn’t be refereeing!”

A clearly angry McMahon continued, “He summed it up I think after – it was poor for both sides; two or three occasions their no 4 (Anthony Riviere) got away from our challenges after a couple of “tackles” and then he goes and pulls everything back for the first foul.”

“And then right at the end there when he’s given a drop ball for a clash of heads – Junior (Baker) has won the header and their skipper (John Beales) has headed him in the back of the head.”

“For both sides I thought he was appalling – both sides deserve credit for trying to play football in difficult conditions spoiled by an absolute awful referee!”

“It’s such a shame that all our thoughts are on the officials performance which wasn’t even up to I think Kent County standard let alone Ryman Premier.””

Indeed the visitors could have been in front inside the first minutes when Tommy Whitnell burst through only to be denied by the right book of Nikki Bull, as the former Aldershot keeper endeared himself to the Gate fans on debut.

On ten minutes the visitors went even closer when Hill thunderous header from Derek Duncan’s corner was brilliantly cleared off the line by Tom Phipp.

With conditions underfoot become more treacherous all the time, the game developed into a struggle as both sides looked to come to terms with the stop start nature of the game which to be fair the referee didn’t help.

Margate always seemed to have a spare man wide yet their final ball would have left manager Brown stratching his head. OK the Gate did have five making home debuts but they were made to work every inch of the way by the battling Mead, until a moment of brilliance put the home side ahead.

Charles Ademeno cut in from the left and unleashed a devastating drive across Sam Mott and into the rigging on the side of the goal for his tenth goal of the season.

It was tough on Thamesmead who had more than matched Margate in the first half, but full credit to McMahon’s men as immediately after half time, the Mead spectacularly levelled.

Duncan’s long free kick dropped in the box at just the right time for skipper Lewis Tozer to power an overhead kick into the net. A spectacular strike which like Ademeno’s before it, hardly belonged in a game like this.

Margate continued to dominate possession without really creating too many chances until disaster struck for the visitors midway through the half when they conceded a very soft goal.

A corner wasn’t cleared and as two Mead defenders waited for the ball to drop, Charlie Wassmer stepped forward to head the ball goalwards and the ball somehow eluded Mott and crept almost apologetically over the goal line.

The goal really knocked the stuffing out of the visitors, and the home side started to turn on a bit of style and from the move of the match involving Ademeno and Phil Walsh, Riviere arriving late on the edge of the box fired narrowly wide of Mott’s left post.

Walsh was then denied by a tremendous Ashley Probets header at the far post as Probets was given nine minutes game time in his rehabilitation continues towards its’ hopeful conclusion from long term injury!

After the game, McMahon reflected on his team’s performance. “We had three lads out today from Saturday – I feel badly let down by two of them I must say which I feel very strongly about!”

“We had a game plan and worked our socks off – we had the great chance early on to go in front! The goal we conceded through a great strike I was a bit disappointed by but we got right back in it straight after half time and I thought we could have gone on.”

“We had some great pressure but the second goal we conceded” shrugging his shoulders McMahon admitted, “it wasn’t good enough!”

McMahon then added, “I’ve always said that these five games straight after Christmas were going to be tough for us but we’ve played well in most of them – it’s just we haven’t been able to take our chances when they’ve come along.”

“If we’d have gone in front in those games I honestly think that we could have gone on and won the game. Kingstonian are a good side but after Saturday, we start playing the teams around us again and if we keep playing like we have been – we’ve had what two or three poor performances in the last three months – we’ll be OK and start picking points up, and if we continue the work rate that we showed again tonight against a good side on a very heavy pitch, we’ll be alright!”

MARGATE – Nikki Bull, Mitchell Nelson, Sam Rents, Anthony Riviere, Charlie Wassmer, John Beales, Tom Phipp (George Artemi 72), Jack Sammoutis, Phil Walsh, Charles Ademeno (Richard Avey 85), Daniel Wishart

Subs – Craig Holloway, Warren Wheatley, Wayne Wilson

THAMESMEAD TOWN – Sam Mott, Jack Hopkins, Jay Porter (Ashley Probets 81), Junior Baker, Lewis Tozer, Josh Hill (Richard Butler 81), Sean Roberts, Derek Duncan, Chris Saunders (Ross Murphy 62), Tommy Whitnell, Danny Phillips

Subs – Rob Budd, Simon Glover

Referee – Mr David Spain
Assistants – Mr Kevin Roberts and Mr Simon Finnegan