Truro City
Matches
Sat 31 Oct 2015  ·  National League South
Truro City Football Club
Truro City
C Cooke (23'), C Duff (32')
2
1
Margate
K Wills (77')

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Truro City Football Club29 Mar - 07:53
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Truro CIty and Margate meet again at Treyew Rd on Saturday

This Saturday brings the third meeting between Truro City and Margate in as many months, though this is the first time that the Kent club will be making the 335-mile trip to Cornwall.

Both clubs are, of course, new entrants to the National League South this year, gaining promotion via the play-offs from their respective leagues last season. Margate are currently 18th in the League, four places and seven points behind Truro, though having played one match fewer thanks to FA Cup commitments.

Margate arrived in the National League South this season with big expectations in the wake of the club’s acquisition by millionaire businessman Bob Laslett at the end of 2013. Laslett, who spent five years as a director of Wolverhampton Wanderers when the club played in both the Premiership and Championship, has big ambitions for his hometown club.

His first move was to bring in the hugely experienced management partnership of Terry Brown and Stuart Cash. With 22 years in the job, Brown is arguably the most successful non-league manager in the business. He has a proven track record of taking clubs up the non-league ladder, having overseen the promotion of both Hayes and Aldershot from the lower leagues to the Conference National. Most recently, in 2011, Brown’s AFC Wimbledon progressed from the Ryman Premier all the way to League Two. And since he has spent around five years at each club he has managed, Brown looks to be in it for the long haul at Margate. He’s backed up by assistant Stuart Cash, who was with him at both Aldershot and Wimbledon.

Having secured promotion to the National League South in 2014-15 – Brown’s first full season in charge - Margate were widely tipped at the beginning of this season to make it two in a row. The Chairman made it clear that progression to the National League was the goal for 2015-16 and the local press in Kent, with their talk of an ‘open chequebook’, have been happy to stoke up the hype.

However, the early part of the season has not gone to plan. After drawing 1-1 with Truro City on the opening day, there was a nine-week wait before Margate scored another goal at home. Unfortunately for Truro, they chose to break their duck with four goals against the Cornish side in their FA Cup Third Qualifying Round clash on 10th October.

But it’s goals that have been the real problem. Margate are the 3rd lowest scorers in the National League South with just 11 goals this season. This is quite a turnaround for the side whose 94 goals made them the Isthmian League’s leading scorers in 2014-15. Fortunately for Margate, their defence has gone some way to make up for the lacklustre strike-force with only 17 conceded so far.

Despite Margate’s disappointing start to the season, Truro should note that their away form has been considerably better than their home performances with their two league wins so far both recorded on the road. The club has also demonstrated an ability to pull some good results out of the bag. Eastbourne Borough found themselves on the end of a 4-1 thumping in mid September and Margate held high-flying Oxford City to a 1-1 draw on 17th October.

And although they exited the FA cup in front of the BT Sport cameras last weekend, Margate put in a creditable performance against National League leaders Forest Green Rovers, losing 2-1 (albeit Forest Green were missing six regulars due to injuries).
In terms of players to watch, for all the talk of ‘big-spending Margate’, the club appears to have taken a measured approach to recruitment since the arrival of their wealthy new owner a couple of years ago. One consistent feature is that Terry Brown has brought in quite a few players he’s managed before, especially in his time at AFC Wimbledon

Starting at the back – which seems appropriate given that Margate’s defence has been its strongest feature so far this season – there is a wealth of experience.

Goalkeeper, and captain, Nikki Bull is 34 and re-signed for the club in the summer. In July, midfielder/ defender David Hunt joined from Maidenhead. The 32 year old boasts more than 400 Football League appearances with clubs including Crystal Palace, Orient, Brentford, Oxford United and Barnet. Defender Brett Johnson, 28 also joined in the closed season and played under Brown at Aldershot and AFC Wimbledon. Another new arrival was 29-year-old defender Glenn Wilson who has Aldershot, Crystal Palace, Rushden and Crawley Town on his CV.

In midfield, Danny Green came from Maidenhead, where he scored 24 in 90 appearances and played at Dagenham and Redbridge before that. Green is Margate’s joint top scorer with four goals in League and Cup so far this year. And former captain Charlie Allen, who left the club last summer, has also returned. The midfielder scored 13 goals for the club last season, despite being out for two months with a knee injury. Margate will be hoping that Allen can provide some much-needed punch in opposition penalty areas.

Up front, Freddie Ladapo and Jamie Taylor have matched Danny Green’s tally of four League and Cup goals. Ladapo, who started his career at League One Colchester before moving to Kidderminster and Grays Athletic, is clearly a man to watch. After joining Margate in January 2015 he scored 13 goals in 19 appearances last season.

Updated 22:31 - 29 Oct 2015 by Colin Bradbury

National League South Fixtures

Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Bath City
2
Chelmsford City
0
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Concord Rangers
1
Maidstone United
2
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Dartford
2
Hayes & Yeading Utd
0
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Eastbourne Borough
1
Sutton United
1
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Ebbsfleet United
2
Wealdstone
3
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Gosport Borough
2
Hemel Hempstead Town
6
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Havant & Waterlooville
1
St Albans City
1
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Maidenhead United
4
Basingstoke Town
3
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Oxford City
3
Bishop's Stortford
1
Sat 31 Oct 2015KO: 15:00
Whitehawk
0
Weston-Super-Mare
2

Head-to-Head

Sat 8 Aug 2015
Margate
1
Truro City Football Club
Truro City
1

Appearances

Margate
N Bull
N BullGoalkeeper
9
F Ladapo
F LadapoStriker
9
J Goodman
J GoodmanDefender
9

Match details

Match date

Sat 31 Oct 2015

Kickoff

15:00

Attendance

418

Competition

National League South
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Kit Supplier 2021/22 - MJM Sports
Shirt Sleeve Sponsor - Man Down Cornwall
Shirt sponsor - Truro and Penwith College
Kit Sponsor 2021/22 - Errea Sport
Club Sponsor - Tribute
Programme Producers - Footie Print & Digital