 Getting excited at the Fulham FA Cup tie in 1997 |
 Watching an FA Cup tie at Egham in 1989, I'm in the dark jacket |
 One of the worst players ever to 'grace' Hartsdown ! |
What is your date and place of birth ?
14th April 1970 -
Margate.
Where do you live ?
Westgate-on-Sea.
What was the first Margate / Thanet match you ever saw and what can
you remember about it ?
A Southern League game against Bath at
Hartsdown in December 1978 - Bath won 4-1. My dad took me - I think we walked
from St.Peters - and we sat in the old 'shed' type stand that was later
demolished and replaced with gravel. I remember thinking that Steve Bowtell was
useless but everything I've read since suggests otherwise !
What was the first away game you went to ?
A dire 0-0
draw at Ashford in February 1980 (the old Essella Park ground). I remember
Margate wore yellow shirts.
Who is your all-time favourite Margate / Thanet player and why
?
Frank Ovard - he didn't play many games for Thanet but he was
fantastic to watch, really skilful and always willing to take players on. He
also scored a brilliant goal on his debut against Andover after I'd helped clear
the pitch of snow during the morning - I think the only reason I helped out was
to make sure I got to see Frank play that afternoon.
Who would be in your all-time favourite Margate / Thanet X1
?
1 Joe Radford
2 Greg Oates
3 Eliot Martin
4 Billy
Plews
5 Sam Sodje
6 Alan Scotting
7 Vic Pain
8 John Keister
9
Lennie Lee
10 Martin Buglione
11 Frank Ovard
Of all the Margate / Thanet matches you've seen which is your
favourite and why ?
The Kent Senior Cup Final in 1994 - Margate beat
Dover 2-1 and not only was it the first thing I'd seen the club win in 16 years
but cult heroes Billy Plews and Joe Brayne got the goals.
What's the best goal you've ever seen a Margate / Thanet player score
?
David Powell against Sheppey (I think) during 89/90, he ran from
the halfway line and beat at least 20 defenders before scoring.
What one game in the club's history do you wish you'd seen and why
?
The FA Cup tie at home to Spurs in 1973 - that must have been an
amazing occasion and it took me 19 years of watching the club to witness
anything remotely similar - Fulham in 1997.
What are the top three highlights of your time supporting Margate /
Thanet ?
1. Getting promoted from the Southern League Southern
Division in 1998 and the game at Brackley that clinched promotion.
2. The
night we got promoted to the Conference after a 0-0 draw with Newport
County.
3. Leon Braithwaite scoring from the spot to give us a 1-0 win at
Boston in our first Conference match.
And what are the three worst things you can remember ?
1.
The Bill Roffey era.
2. The Karl Elsey era.
3. Losing to Bognor in the 4th
Qualifying Round of the FA Cup in 1987.
What's the funniest thing you've witnessed during a Margate / Thanet
match ?
The four sendings off in the FA Trophy game against
Leatherhead during 88/89 and also the time that Paul Sykes attempted to vault an
advertising hoarding at Hartsdown and it collapsed, leaving him lying on the
floor.
Do you have a favourite piece of Margate FC memorabilia or do you own
any unusual items ?
Probably my favourite thing is my 1980 Margate
scarf, purchased on a sunny April day when Garry Aldous had a great game in a
win over Hastings. Also got lots of other bits and pieces - most unusual is
probably a set of club rules from the 1930's.
If you could re-sign one former player who's still playing elsewhere
then who would it be and why ?
Martin Buglione - a real flair
player, entertaining to watch and deadly anywhere near goal. I'd like to see him
re-sign and come on for 20 minutes here and there to score crucial Conference
goals !
Have you ever seen a full season of competitive matches (ie not
missed any) or come close to it ?
Saw every game during 86/87 as a
16 year-old when I was supposed to be studying for my A Levels at Dane Court and
also saw them all during 01/02 - the first Conference season.
How many games would you say you've seen in total
?
Something like 800 as at the end of the 02/03 season.
What's your current favourite away ground ?
Gravesend -
falling apart but I've always liked it because it's a 'proper' old ground.
And which current away ground do least like ?
I hate
Farnborough.
What's your all-time favourite away ground ?
I really
liked Boston and Yeovil and used to like going to Waterlooville.
And which ground out of all the ones you've ever been to did you like
least ?
Central Park, Sittingbourne, very closely followed by
Kingsmead, Canterbury.
Which Margate / Thanet player that you never saw play do you wish
you'd seen ?
Phil Amato - sounds like he was the Frank Ovard of his
generation.
Have you ever played football on the pitch at Hartsdown
?
Yes, five times in total - three friendlies for my former Sunday
League team (scored at both ends of Hartsdown), once in a 5-a-side tournament
that included a Margate veterans team (Lennie Lee, Norman Fusco, Mark Weatherly,
etc) and once more in a pretty low-key not-quite-11-a-side game two or three
years ago. Playing against another 'sort-of' Margate veterans team I scored a
hat-trick whilst wearing Martin Buglione's old Margate number 10 shirt (the red
'Business' one) includng a 25-yarder into the top corner past Phil Winch. Sadly
that moment was probably the highlight of my entire 15 year Sunday League career
!!.
Which Margate / Thanet kit is your all-time favourite
?
Definitely the 1996 'Bad Manners' kit - a piece of design genius !
And which have you liked the least ?
There was a
horrible early 90's one - shiny blue material with a white collar that
buttoned-up in a strange way - this was around the Tommy Taylor era.
Added to the site in 2002.