Margate were founded in 1896 and joined the Southern League in 1933. After a spell in the Kent League after World War II the team returned to the Southern League in 1959. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United, and remained in the Southern League until 2001 when they gained promotion to the Football Conference. Their stay at this level saw the team forced to groundshare with other clubs due to drawn-out and problematic redevelopment work at their Hartsdown Park stadium. During the three years spent away from their own ground they were expelled from the Conference National and subsequently relegated to the Isthmian League. They played in the Premier Division for the 10 seasons until they won promotion through the play-offs to the National League South, avoided immediate relegation in 2015/16 on goal difference, but a season later there was demotion to the Isthmian Premier. Last campaign they ended 12th in the Isthmian Premier.

Competitively the two sides have met three times during Bay’s Isthmian League tenure. There was a Kent Senior Cup 1st Round clash at Hartsdown in November 2014 when Gate were somewhat fortunate to come out as 3-1 winners with Danny Williams scoring the Bay goal. The same competition, at the same stage, in September 2017 and Herne Bay gave five full debuts and a further two from the bench as John Embery and Jermaine Darlington rang the changes. Alex Mulrooney-Skinner levelled Margate’s opener, with a second half goal from the visitors giving them the victory. One of Herne Bay’s substitutes on the night, and making his debut, was Sam McCallum who has since joined Coventry City and has made several first team appearances. Sixteen days later there was a FA Cup Third Qualifying Round encounter with Herne Bay playing the better football in the first period but could not find the back of the net. Margate scored twice within seven minutes just before the hour mark. It was the controversial denial of two penalty appeals that proved to be the main talking point after the game.

Two familiar faces are in the Margate squad this season, Connor Wilkins and Dan Johnson. Wilkins ended last season at Winch’s Field and made 68 appearances and scored six goals. Johnson joined Herne Bay on a season’s loan from Maidstone United in the summer of 2014 and the move was made permanent twelve months later. Over two seasons he made 99 appearances and scored five goals. He was Supporters’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season in 2015/16. He moved to Bromley in July 2016 and has subsequently played for Dartford. Gate have also recently signed Harrison Hatfull who made one appearance for Bay in September 2017 – at home to Margate in the Kent Senior Cup.

Jay Saunders’ side started their season’s preparations with a 1-1 home draw with National League South side Welling United and then beat Faversham Town 6-0 and Deal Town 4-0 (Hemel Hempstead beat Deal 7-0).

Margate play at Hartsdown Park, Hartsdown Rd, Margate CT9 5QZ. 12.9 miles from Winch’s Field, estimated journey time 21 minutes.