Maidstone United (H) - 11th February 2024

By David Hansen

Margate Women will be determined to get back on track in the SECWFL Premier Division in our final home game of the month as we welcome 9th place Maidstone United to Hartsdown Park.

The Blues head into this weekend's fixture after suffering consecutive losses in their last two matches. The competitors however have not won a fixture since early December when they defeated Bromleians at The Gallagher Stadium.

The last 2 games for Margate Women have seem them well beaten. With losses against Tunbridge Wells Foresters and Sevenoaks Town, shipping 8 goals. Recent weeks have seen a depleted squad with manager Steph Meek unable to make many substitutes or tactical changes.

As for the opposition, Maidstone’s last victory was back in early December against Bromleians, with defeats in their last 4 games whilst conceding 17 goals and only scoring once.

Previous Meetings (last five) :

Maidstone United Women 4-1 Margate Ladies – Division 1 East - (29/09/19)

Margate Ladies 1-3 Maidstone United Women – Kent FA Plate - (16/02/20)

Maidstone United Women 2-3 Margate Ladies – Division 1 East - (18/10/20)

Margate Ladies 2-5 Maidstone United Women – Spring Round Robin Group - (09/05/21)

Margate Women 6-0 Maidstone United Women – Womens FA Cup - (10/09/23)

The head-to-head record shows that in the last 13 meetings Maidstone have taken 8 victories. With Margate picking up 3 wins against Maidstone and earning 2 draws along the way. This fixture has seen 85 goals in the past with Margate scoring 36 goals and Maidstone United scoring 49. This equates to around 6.5 goals per game.

Manager Steph Meek had her say ahead of the match on Sunday:

“We head into this weekend with some ground to catch up in order to improve our league position. We have slipped into 6th place, but the top 3 remains within our reach. The team must remain focused on their goals and push hard to achieve them.”

“Following this weekend, we head into a week break, and then 3 consecutive cup matches. This match will be crucial for getting team morale back and building the positive mentality for what is set to be a demanding 10 days for the side.”

“We have only played this side once this season and we haven't clashed with them since their promotion in the 2021/22 season where they were playing at Tier 6. The great result we achieved in the FA Cup clash should fill the girls with confidence however we cannot take this for granted, some of the opposition will be exposed to football in the higher division.”

Players To Watch:

For the 'Gate this week we have chosen Esmee Kew-Stroud. Esmee is a product of the club's youth setup and has become a key member of the squad this season, making 17 appearances, including 15 starts and 2 appearances from the bench. She has also found the net 5 times and made 1 assist. Esmee has also been shown 5 yellow cards this season earning a suspension, which was served last weekend making her available again on Sunday with a clean slate.

For our opposition we have chosen top scorer for the club Anya Carroll. Anya has scored 6 goals this season in 6 starts, as well as making 3 substitute appearances along the way. Carroll is the only player to have scored for the club since their last win against Bromleians at The Gallagher Stadium.

Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm at Hartsdown Park with tickets being pay on the door.

UP THE ‘GATE

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