In absence of Official Web Site ..........

[Guest]

Preview Sutton Utd vs MARGATE – 26/10/04

 

Margate travel to Surrey for a 7.45 kick off on Tuesday 26th October to take on Nationwide South strugglers Sutton United at Gander Green Lane.

 

Margate go into their 14th league game of the season still suffering from erratic form. With the weekend game against Basingstoke postponed, Gate dropped three places to 17th so this fixture represents an important opportunity to climb away from the lower reaches of the table.

 

Gate have managed to go unbeaten for two games just once so far this season, and while 20 goals scored is fairly competitive, 29 goals conceded is exceeded only by Dorchester, Maidenhead and bottom of the table Welling. Current form sees Margate having taken seven from a possible 18 points with two wins and a draw – Gate’s first of the season from the game against Newport County at Homelands.

 

Manager Chris Kinnear could be without Greg Oates (knee), Bill Edwards (hamstring) and Adrian Clarke (back) for the trip to Sutton United. New signing Ross Smith could come in for Edwards with in-form Benevides and Charlambous the likely replacements for Oates and Clarke. This could leave the Margate bench with a decidedly attacking feel if Darren Watson is among the substitutes.

 

Margate stats.

 

Current form (last six): L L W W L D

 

Current League position: 17th

Total: W 5, D 1, L 7, GF 20, GA 29, Pts 16

Home: W 3, D 1, L 3, GF 10, GA 14

Away: W 2, D 0, L 4, GF 10, GA 15

 

Last season:

Nationwide Conference 16th

Total: W 14, D 9, L 19, GF 56, GA 64, 51 pts

Home: W 8, D 2, L 11, GF 30, GA 32

Away: W 6, D 7, L 8, GF 26, GA 32

 

After finishing second in last year’s Ryman Premier, the U’s might have been expecting a bit more this term. But with just two league victories to their name so far in this campaign and languishing in the bottom three, the pressure is on.

 

Current form has seen Sutton record just one victory in their last six games – and that against one of the season’s surprise packages in Bognor Regis Town. Other than that, two draws have punctuated a run that includes three league defeats. The FA Cup did little to instil confidence in the side – going out as they did to Bromley of the Ryman Premier in the third qualifying round.

 

Top scorer for the U’s is Craig Watkins. The young striker joined the club in the summer from Epsom. Also on the books at Gander Green Lane are Peter Fear and Joff Vansittart. Fear is best known for his time at Wimbledon where he made 70 appearances for the Dons in the Premiership. Interestingly, Fear also has two Southern League Championship medals – from Kettering (2002) and Crawley (2004). Vansittart returned for a second stint with the U’s after playing for Crawley (last season) and Farnborough and Dover in the Nationwide Conference.

 

Sutton United stats.

 

Current form (last six): W L L D L D

 

Current League position: 20th

Total: W 2, D 5, L 7, GF 16, GA 23, Pts 11

Home: W 0, D 3, L 4, GF 6, GA 10

Away: W 2, D 2, L 3, GF 10, GA 13

 

Last season:

Ryman League Premier Division – 2nd

Total: W 12, D 12, L 22, GF 55, GA 83, 85 pts

Home: W 11, D 6, L 6, GF 46, GA 30

Away: W 14, D 4, L 5, GF 48, GA 26

 

Contact details:

Sutton United Football Club

Borough Sports Ground, Gander Green Lane

Sutton

Surrey

SM1 2EY

 

Tel: 0208-6444440

Web-site: www.suttonunited.net

 

I hope you guys find this useful. I'll continue to drop info here that I would have posted to the official site until its return. Cheers, Steve.

[MargateFan]

Cheers, Steve, a tonic to look ahead to a game!

 

Many thanks for keeping us up to date - a lifeline in these troubled times.

 

It's not over yet, for goodness sake club and council sort your differences out and let's have some football stuff back where it should be - on the pitch and in our discussions here. Bl**dy near ruined my weekend the shenanigans of this last few days.

[Guest]

Yep thanks steve and hope france was better weather than here!!!!!!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[michael]

You have to concede that Oates, green and Clarke plus if in form BE are bedrocks of the team and without them we do look weak.

 

 

As someone posted over the weekend, maybe a good thing that basingstoke postponed.

 

Equally as peter Watts posted a couple of weeks ago, for all their efforts and particularly improved form Benevides and Charambolous are not full backs.

 

Needs must, but are there alternatives?

 

If AC is fit ,then why not play a back four as follows:

 

Annon, barnett, Smith Clarke.

 

If AC not fit, then :

 

benevides Barnett ,Smith Annon

 

or

Ngongu.

 

Minimally lets have just one of our midfielders playing out of postion, not two.

 

Whilst my flleting glimpses of Ngongu are limited to a friendly at erith and 20 minutes against Waltham,of our 'new wave midfielders' he appears to be the toughest/best tackling and possibly most defensive.

 

Above all we need defenders who defend and midfielders who 'midfield'.

 

I do not think at this level , players have sufficient skill/ knowledge to play out of position.

 

At this level, the wing back role is too bigger job for a player and you end up with the worst of both worlds and players getting caught out.

 

You can get away with it in attack but not defence where one mistake is fatal(and we are making 1/2 mistakes a game and conceding goals like a sieve )

 

Discuss.

[Guest]

I would agree that there is not a great deal of depth there for now, and I'm sure Chris would be the forst to admit that. It also fair to say that most of the players look to be putting tremendous effort in, and if you are a right sided midfielder playing at left wing-back then you can be excused playing out of poisiton now and again.

 

I doubt we'll do anything other than 3 in the middle at the back. Given the changes of personnel, you could argue that the last thing we need is also a change of formation. Tamba did look promising against Waltham but lets remember where they are! For me, Benevides (together with Greenie before his injury) has been the rising star - I wonder how good he could be playing in his more natural right midfield role! And I think Alex has looked OK in the left wing-back but mainly with Clarkie playing in front of him.

 

I might be tempted to start with Moses and Che up front - just to give Rocky a jolt. I like Rocky - he is skillfull and can turn a game. It might be his style but I do agree with some of the concerns expressed about his apparent attitude on the pitch. A question I ask myself is "how does Rocky's work rate compare to Che's?".

 

One concern I have is JK. He has had a tremendous start to the season - showing what we missed last year when he was out. But he has demonstrated some interesting body language towards Chris when instructions are called out to him. At the moment, he is instrumental to our midfield. I just hope the club's situation isn't getting to him.

 

Given that lot, I guess the team will largely pick itself via the injury situation.

[Guest]

JK always seems to moan at Chris, and everybody else for that matter. Has had more bookings than Frank Sinatra <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/elephant.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/hump.gif" alt="" />

[michael]

The only shouting i hear from Jk is 'seconds'.

 

Almost as bad as touchline instructions for 'squeeze'.

 

Why do players and managers constantly state the obvious in such hackneyed terms

 

What a cliched world we live in .

[MargateFan]

JK was certainly wondrous at the start of the season but he seems to have lost his way of late, I hope he gets back to that form and in our present circumstances we do not need to lose him.

Gradley has also been very influential in midfield this season so his fitness if quite key.

My chief concern is that we do not seem to be getting the balls forward quickly enough. We have been at our most effective when we have peeled back the defence with some sharp speedy moves to allow Che and Rocky to do what they do best. The first 15 minutes at Lewes for example was a case in point, and against most of the sides in this league I have seen panic at the back at a swift attack.

Sometimes I despair when we twiddle around in midfield with flowery passing amongst ourselves whilst the opposition get 7 or 8 men into the box. Few strikers can get past 3 men on them every time, although Rocky and Che have done so a few times. I think we can add exasperation to Rocky's laid-back attitude at times.

I think we could beef up our speed by giving Moses a run out and having three up front, maybe playing him just behind the front men. We would not want to play Clarkey too far back because the quality of his crosses in are not really expendable. So have Ross, Aaon and Darren at the back, Peter more up in the midfield with JK, Pat and Clarke, then Moses, then Rocky and Che and push forward more quickly. You still have Alex as a bit of quicksilver when legs start to get tired, and Tamba (I quite rate him from what I have seen so far) plus Darren Watson or Bulley for upfront substitutions.

What do you think of that idea?

[michael]

As Steve eludes to the mighty Darren W in his preview, could Steve also advise of darrens fitness situation ,and whether he has signed-for how long/loan,non-contract or whatever.

 

Thanks in anticipation

[Cookie]

I have only seen BULLEY once and that was as sub against Braintree and though this was a cup tie I saw enough in his attitude to suggest he will be up for every game. He was calling for the ball, getting others to lift their heads and generally geeing everyone up. I watched him closely and he impressed me both with that attitude and his talent for heading the ball, plus a couple of good intelligent passes. On that evidence I would play him up front with MOSES and CHE. Two workmanlike players with a bit of speed to go alongside of BULLEY.

[knighty101]

i must admit he did lay a few nice headed balls off

shame he lacks pace..

would like to see a fit watson tho.. i recon him and che could be a good combo...

[Guest]

I can't confirm Darren Watson's situation with regard to contract or otherwise, but we will need to be realistic given the financial situation. Given his lack of match fitness, I'd see him starting on the bench for now. Having said that though, we - and Chris - know what he is capable of. Whether it's from the bench or from the start, it would be good to see him in a blue shirt again.

[michael]

Yep-Darren has fantastic potential and just hope club can do all they can to hang on to him.

 

As previously posted, if we could know with some certainty that we will survive beyond Xmas, and that darren was at least on a contract until end of season, (unless someone comes in with mega transfer offer), in my own small way, i would help by sponsoring his kit.

 

However, we don't know if he will be here net week as it stands .

 

 

What is Darrens mysterious injury which he appears to have had since last february

[michael]

Sorry-Steves post does not say he is injured-my assumption-says he is not match fit.(but will he ever be and is it the same thing)

 

He is a true weapon of mass destruction of conference south defences.

 

Frankly, against most conf. south defences (except weston who are all 'big boys') he would scare them all to defeat and grab a hatful of goals

[michael]

If Akpo can get in Huddersfield squad, then Darren should be in the premier league.

 

Trust MFC can perservere with him