Derby Day Draw

A 93rd minute equaliser sparked scenes of celebration on the blue side of the Isle, as it rescued a home draw against Ramsgate and their huge away following on derby day at Hartsdown Park.

With a substantial gap between Margate and the top two, the pre-match analysis was that this was a must win for the Blues if they were to be considered serious title contenders. The celebrations that went long into the night, however, demonstrate how much they valued a draw against their title chasing neighbours.

The Rams made two changes from the side that beat Lancing in their last game, with Billy Munday and Benny Bioletti coming in from the start.

In front of a sold-out crowd, it was Margate who had the first chance of the game in the third minute. Player-manager Ben Greenhalgh played a through ball, finding Ibrahim Olutade in space. He closed in on goal, but Henry Newcombe stood up well and denied him with a superb diving save. It was frenetic stuff early on, with the Rams’s passing game being disrupted by a high press from the home side.

Newcombe was called into action again in the tenth minute, saving down low from Jordan Ababio after he had cut inside from the right. Ramsgate began to grew into the game after this though, with some crisp passing and intelligent movement pinning the Gate back inside their own half. Munday shot wide before Alfie Paxman was denied what looked to be a clear penalty after he pounced on a short back pass. Referee Kane Dempster pointed for a corner despite clear contact coming from Wray.

Lee Martin went close in the 25th minute with a left footed strike from the edge of the box that was pushed wide, and the pressure continued to build as Margate were forced further and further back. Tom Clifford went close with a left footed shot that went just wide of Wray’s far post, before the Gate custodian made a stunning save to deny the same player after TJ Jadama pulled the ball back from the byline in the 40th minute.

The pressure finally told in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the half, as the Rams ensured they went into the break 1-0 up. A corner was drifted in by Roarie Deacon from the right, and Harry Hudson could only clear as far as Joe Ellul, who took a touch before firing past Wray from fifteen yards to spark wild celebrations in the away end.

The second half started in similar fashion, with Ramsgate looking to extend their lead. A delightful Joe Taylor backheel found Paxman at the byline on the left, but his cutback was just out of reach of a sliding Jadama. Five minute later, however, Margate were level. A free kick was flighted in from the left touchline, and Lewis Knight’s header was nodded into the roof of the net from close range by Hudson.

Parity didn’t last long though, and the Rams regained the lead two minutes later. Another corner, this time from Paxman, was headed goalwards by Munday and Jay Leader was on hand to flick the ball past Wray in front of the huge travelling Red Army to make it 2-1. It was a brilliant, improvised finish that Joe Taylor would’ve been proud of.

Olutade fired a shot high and wide from the right side of the box as Margate looked to bounce back again, before Bioletti drove past Kai Garande before shooting just wide in the 62nd minute. The game entered a bit of a lull at this point, with Ramsgate ensuring they kept control of the game despite the home side’s best efforts.

With twelve minutes left Greenhalgh, having given himself a free role in the latter stages, crossed for Olutade to scoop a shot over the bar from ten yards when well placed. Paxman then forced another fine save out of Wray when his powerful shot was kept out at the near post following a lay off by Taylor.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Margate managed to find an equaliser. The ball was played in to Max Walsh, and he took a touch before curling a left footed effort towards goal from just outside the box. Newcombe got a hand on it to push the ball onto the post, but the ball agonisingly trickled over the line. 2-2 was how the match ended, with the Rams next in action on Saturday with a home game against AFC Croydon Athletic.

Rams: Newcombe, Deacon (Barnes), Ellul, Leader, Clifford, Martin (Gard), Munday, Jadama, Bioletti, Paxman, Taylor. Subs: Judd, Wilkins.

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