View source for Margate F.C.

{{short description|Association football club in England}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Margate
| image = Margate FC crest.svg
| image_size = 155px
| alt = Margate FC badge
| fullname = Margate Football Club
| nickname = The Gate
| founded = {{Start date and age|1896|df=yes}}
| ground = [[Hartsdown Park]]
| capacity = 2,100 (400 seated)<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.chelmsfordcityfc.com/margate_preview_h_140407.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002641/http://www.chelmsfordcityfc.com/margate_preview_h_140407.htm
| archive-date = 28 September 2007
| title = Revenge on the Cards as Margate Pay a Visit (13th April 2007)
| author = Chris Evans and Rob Craven
| date = 13 April 2007
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = Cheltenham City F.C.
}}</ref>
| chairman = Ricky Owen
| manager = [[Ben Greenhalgh]] (player manager)
| league = {{English football updater|Margate}}
| season = {{English football updater|Margate2}}
| position = {{English football updater|Margate3}}
| pattern_la1 = _whiteborder
| pattern_b1 = _whiteshoulders
| pattern_ra1 = _whiteborder
| pattern_sh1 = _whitesides
| pattern_so1 = _hoops_blue
| leftarm1 = 0000FF
| body1 = 0000FF
| rightarm1 = 0000FF
| shorts1 = 0000FF
| socks1 = FFFFFF
| pattern_la2 = _blackborder
| pattern_b2 = _blackshoulders
| pattern_ra2 = _blackborder
| leftarm2 = FFFFFF
| body2 = FFFFFF
| rightarm2 = FFFFFF
| shorts2 = 000000
| socks2 = 000000
| website = {{URL|http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/}}
}}

'''Margate Football Club''', originally called '''Margate Town''', is an English [[association football|football]] club based in the [[seaside resort]] of [[Margate]], [[Kent]]. The club's [[first team (association football)|first team]] play in the {{English football updater|Margate}}. The club was known during the 1980s as '''Thanet United'''.

The club was founded in 1896 and joined the [[Southern Football League]] in 1933.<ref name="fchd" /> After a spell in the [[Kent Football League (1894–1959)|Kent League]] after World War II the team returned to the Southern League in 1959 and remained there until 2001 when they gained promotion to the [[Football Conference]], the highest level of English [[non-League football]]. 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. The stadium has been the home of Margate FC since 1929, the same year the park itself opened to the public, and during the three years spent away from their own ground, they were expelled from the [[Conference National]] and subsequently relegated to the Isthmian League.

The team, nicknamed "The Gate",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport/new-gate-boss-brown-says-10300/|title=Margate Football Club appoint former Hayes, Aldershot and AFC Wimbledon manager Terry Brown as their new boss|publisher=Kent Online|first=Kevin|last=Redsull|date=17 December 2013|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-date=5 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505161342/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport/new-gate-boss-brown-says-10300/|url-status=live}}</ref> have to date reached the third round proper of England's premier cup competition, the [[FA Cup]], on two occasions. On the second of these occasions they played [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], a [[Football League First Division|First Division]] team and the reigning [[UEFA Cup]] holders.

==History==
{{for|a statistical breakdown by season|List of Margate F.C. seasons}}

===Early years===
[[File:MargateFC1901 (cleaned-up).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Margate team photo from the 1901–02 season]]
Margate Football Club was founded in 1896 as an amateur club and was originally called Margate Town,<ref name="Y51" /> playing friendly matches on local school grounds.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3195602.stm
| title = Club 'could fold' over stadium
| date = 15 October 2003
| access-date = 11 April 2016
| publisher = BBC Sport
| location = London
| archive-date = 19 April 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160419180521/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3195602.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> In the years before the [[First World War]] the club played in several different amateur leagues, with little success, and played at various grounds in the Margate area,<ref name="Y51"/> before settling on a pitch at what would later become the [[Dreamland Margate|Dreamland]] amusement park in 1912.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite web
| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/3038537/Keister-on-crest-of-wave.html
| last = George
| first = Ricky
| title = Keister on crest of wave
| date = 25 November 2002
| access-date = 11 April 2016
| publisher = The Daily Telegraph
| archive-date = 23 April 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160423223541/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/3038537/Keister-on-crest-of-wave.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref> This ground became known as the Hall-by-the-Sea Ground,<ref name="Y51">{{cite book|title=Gone But Not Forgotten Part 31|first=Dave|last=Twydell|publisher=Yore Publications|year=2007|page=51|isbn=978-0-9557889-0-1}}</ref> taking its name from a local dance hall.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.c20society.org.uk/docs/building/dreamland.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070525075656/http://www.c20society.org.uk/docs/building/dreamland.html
| archive-date = 25 May 2007
| title = Building of the Month September 2006: The Scenic Railway at Dreamland, Margate, Kent
| last = Dermott
| first = Nick
|date=September 2006
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = The Twentieth Century Society
}}</ref>

===Inter-war years===
After the First World War, Margate joined the [[Kent Football League (1894–1959)|Kent League]], but in 1923 the league suspended the team due to financial irregularities and the club promptly folded. A year later the club reformed, initially under the name Margate Town, and returned to the Kent League, still playing at Dreamland, but folded again due to heavy debts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Gone But Not Forgotten Part 31|first=Dave|last=Twydell|page=53}}</ref> In 1929 the club reformed again and moved to its present home at Hartsdown Park, leasing part of the park from the local council for conversion into a football stadium. Around this time Margate signed a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] player, a highly unusual move in an era when it was almost unknown for Continental players to move to English clubs.<ref>{{cite book | first=Hunter|last= Davies | title=Boots, Balls & Haircuts: An Illustrated History of Football from Then to Now| publisher=Cassell Illustrated| year=2003| isbn=1-84403-261-2|page=202}}</ref> Goalkeeper [[Gerard Keizer|Gerrit "Gerard" Keizer]], who joined the Kent club from [[Ajax Amsterdam]], later went on to play for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=343662.html
| title = Arsenal's first "Flying Dutchman"
| date = 27 September 2005
| access-date = 17 June 2016
| publisher = UEFA
| author = Brennan, Dan
| archive-date = 16 September 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160916161539/http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=343662.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

From 1934 until 1938 Margate, by now playing in the [[Southern League (football)|Southern League]], served as the official nursery side for Arsenal; under this arrangement the London club regularly loaned promising young players to Margate in order for them to gain match experience.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/sport/stories/200212/09/margate.shtml
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050505014453/http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/sport/stories/200212/09/margate.shtml
| archive-date = 5 May 2005
| title = Bluebirds get the job done
| date = 7 December 2002
| access-date = 31 May 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
}}</ref>  In the second season of this arrangement, [[1935–36 in English football|1935–36]], Margate reached the third round proper of the [[FA Cup]] for the first time, losing 3–1 to [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] after defeating [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] and [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] in the earlier rounds, but shortly after this the club had to step back down to the Kent League for financial reasons.<ref name="fchd" />

===Post-war years===
After the Second World War, the Gate continued to play in the Kent League under new manager [[Charlie Walker (footballer, born 1911)|Charlie Walker]], who led the team to two Kent League championships but was then controversially sacked.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PxtmCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22eddie+hapgood%22+margate&pg=PT97|page=97|title=War Hammers II: The Story of West Ham United During the Second World War|publisher=History Press|first=Brian|last=Belton|date=2015|isbn=9780750965729|access-date=21 March 2023|archive-date=9 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209144132/https://books.google.com/books?id=PxtmCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22eddie+hapgood%22+margate&pg=PT97#v=onepage&q=%22eddie%20hapgood%22%20margate&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The team slumped during a succession of rapid managerial changes which only ended in 1950 when [[Almer Hall]] was appointed manager, a post he was to hold for the next twenty years. Under Hall, the team won a host of local cup honours and reached the rounds proper of the FA Cup on a number of occasions, but never managed to match this success in league competition.<ref name="cheshunt" />

In [[1959–60 in English football|1959–60]] Margate returned to the Southern League after the Kent League folded, and in [[1962–63 in English football|1962–63]] won the Division One championship and with it promotion to the [[Southern League Premier Division|Premier Division]].<ref name="fchd" /> Two years later the club turned full-time professional, but this policy proved financially untenable when the team were relegated back to Division One in [[1965–66 in English football|1965–66]]. Nonetheless, they won promotion at the first attempt and returned to the Premier Division in 1967.<ref name="fchd" />

During the 1970s, Margate endured severe financial problems and a series of mediocre league seasons, but took part in two famous FA Cup ties. In 1971 the Gate lost 11–0 to [[AFC Bournemouth|Bournemouth]], with [[Ted MacDougall]] scoring a cup record nine goals.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.afcb.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10324,00.html
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119063554/http://www.afcb.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0%2C%2C10324%2C00.html
 |archive-date=19 January 2008
|title=AFC Bournemouth – A History in the Making
 |access-date=8 January 2008
|publisher=AFC Bournemouth
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref> One year later, Margate beat [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]] and [[Walton & Hersham F.C.|Walton & Hersham]] to set up a third-round tie against [[Football League First Division|First Division]] [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], then [[UEFA Cup]] holders. A record crowd of around 14,500 packed into Hartsdown Park for a match which Margate lost 6–0.<ref name="BBC" />

[[File:ThanetUtd.jpg|125px|thumb|right| Thanet United badge]]
In 1981 the club changed its name to Thanet United, a name which was retained until 1989 when the name reverted to Margate.<ref name=fchd />  In the final season under the Thanet name, the team achieved its lowest league placing for many years, escaping [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] from the Southern League by just one place.<ref name="fchdt">{{cite web
| url = https://www.fchd.info/lghist/south1989.htm
| title = Southern League 1988–89
| access-date = 7 February 2021
| publisher = Football Club History Database
| archive-date = 15 January 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210115212444/https://fchd.info/lghist/south1989.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

===Conference era===
In 1996, the club's centenary year, the club appointed Chris Kinnear as manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doverathletic.com/index.php?p=showprofile&id=291&c=s|title=Chris Kinnear|publisher=[[Dover Athletic F.C.]]|access-date=26 July 2016|archive-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917005525/http://www.doverathletic.com/index.php?p=showprofile&id=291&c=s|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[1997–98 in English football|1997–98]] he took the team to the first round proper of the FA Cup where they played [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in a home tie that drew a crowd of 5,100. Although the Gate took the lead, the Cottagers eventually won 2–1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-fulham-avoid-margate-man-trap-1294571.html|title=Football: Fulham avoid Margate man-trap|work=[[The Independent]]|first=Mark|last=Pierson|date=17 November 1997|access-date=26 July 2016|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818135407/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-fulham-avoid-margate-man-trap-1294571.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The following season saw the club finally win promotion to the Southern League Premier Division, albeit only after an appeal was lodged against the league's initial refusal to allow the team promotion due to the club failing to carry out necessary ground improvements in time.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bathcityfc.com/news_may99.htm
| title = News: May 1999
| date = 14 May 1999
| access-date = 11 June 2007
| publisher = Bath City F.C.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928193924/http://www.bathcityfc.com/news_may99.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref> The Premier Division championship followed in the [[2000–01 in English football|2000–01]] season, and with it promotion to the [[Football Conference]].<ref name="fchd" />

The [[2001–02 in English football|2001–02]] season was Gate's first-ever season of Conference football and they finished the season in eighth place. In the [[2002–03 in English football|2002–03]] season the team began groundsharing at [[Dover Athletic F.C.|Dover Athletic]]'s [[Crabble Athletic Ground]] while redevelopment work took place at Hartsdown Park, but various problems stalled the planned redevelopment.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3748114.stm
| title = Club 'can start work on stadium'
| date = 15 October 2004
| access-date = 5 June 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
| location = London
| archive-date = 5 February 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140606/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3748114.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> On the pitch, Margate enjoyed more success in the FA Cup when, after defeating [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]] in the first round, they were drawn at home to [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]] in the second round, but lost 3–0 at Crabble. The following season, despite finishing sixteenth, the Gate were forcibly relegated one division due to the ongoing delays and problems with the redevelopment plans for Hartsdown Park.<ref name="fchd" />

Margate spent the [[2004–05 in English football|2004–05]] season in the [[Conference South]], now groundsharing at [[Ashford Town F.C. (Kent)|Ashford Town]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.margatefc.co.uk/news_features.php?archive=1094140366&subaction=list-archive&go=archives
| title = News Centre
| access-date = 5 June 2007
| publisher = Margate F.C.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928122726/http://www.margatefc.co.uk/news_features.php?archive=1094140366&subaction=list-archive&go=archives <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref> Amid ongoing issues with the redevelopment work, which at one point made it seem very likely the club would fold completely,<ref name="BBC" /> Margate were again relegated to the [[Isthmian League Premier Division]].<ref name="fchd" />

===Return to Hartsdown Park===
[[File:MargateFC2007.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Margate (blue shirts) in action in 2007]]
In August 2005, Margate returned to Hartsdown Park after three years away. During an indifferent season manager Kinnear was controversially suspended.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/4878472.stm
| title = Margate suspend managerial pair
| date = 5 April 2006
| access-date = 25 May 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
| location = London
| archive-date = 12 April 2006
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060412110750/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/4878472.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> [[Robin Trott]] was placed in temporary charge as player-manager in April 2006 and, after an unbeaten five-game run, was given a one-year contract at the end of the season. After Margate narrowly missed out on the play-offs in [[2006–07 in English football|2006–07]] the club announced that Trott was to be given a new contract for the [[2007–08 in English football|2007–08]] season.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/budget_cut_but_trott_stays_with_gate_1_1031546
 |title=Budget cut, but Trott stays with Gate
 |date=5 May 2007
|access-date=25 May 2007
|publisher=Eastern Daily Press
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011222/http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/budget_cut_but_trott_stays_with_gate_1_1031546
 |archive-date=5 March 2016
}}</ref> Shortly before the end of the season, however, Trott was sacked.<ref name="Trott out">{{cite web| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/newsarchive.aspx?articleid=40215| title = Trott parts company with Margate| access-date = 3 April 2012| date = 16 April 2008| publisher = Kent Online| archive-date = 15 April 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120415150651/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/newsarchive.aspx?articleid=40215| url-status = live}}</ref> His replacement, [[Barry Ashby]], was himself sacked two months into the [[2008–09 in English football|2008–09]] season.<ref name="kentonline.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/7693331.stm|title=Ashby and Smith sacked by Margate|publisher=BBC|access-date=3 April 2012|date=27 October 2008|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140558/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/7693331.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, the club narrowly avoided being subject to [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] action over unpaid debts to [[HM Revenue and Customs]].<ref name="CVA">{{cite web
| url = http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Margate-saved-11th-hour/story-12010108-detail/story.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120212213602/http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Margate-saved-11th-hour/story-12010108-detail/story.html
| archive-date = 12 February 2012
| title = Margate saved at 11th hour
| access-date=3 December 2008|date=25 November 2008
| publisher = thisiskent.co.uk
}}</ref> The club finished the season in 19th position in the table and was expected to be relegated to [[Isthmian League Division One South|Division One South]],<ref name="down">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/margate_forced_to_wait_on_relegation_decision_1_1051455
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130420091347/http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/margate_forced_to_wait_on_relegation_decision_1_1051455
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=20 April 2013
|title=Margate forced to wait on relegation decision
 |first=Glenn
 |last=Pearson
 |access-date=18 April 2009
|date=25 April 2009
|publisher=Eastern Daily Press
}}</ref> but was reprieved due to other clubs folding.<ref name="down2">{{cite web
| url = http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Margate-escape-relegation-newsinkent24822.aspx?news=sport
| title = Margate escape relegation
| access-date=29 May 2009|date=29 May 2009|publisher=Kent News
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601030153/http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Margate-escape-relegation-newsinkent24822.aspx?news=sport <!--Added by H3llBot-->
|archive-date=1 June 2009
}}</ref> The following season, Margate again finished in the bottom four but the club again received a reprieve from relegation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet_extra/sport/2010/may/17/staying_up.aspx|title=Margate given Ryman League Premier Division reprieve|date=17 May 2010|access-date=3 April 2012|publisher=Kent Online}}</ref>

Chris Kinnear returned for a second spell to manage the team at the start of the [[2011–12 in English football|2011–12]] season. The following season Margate were sitting at the top of the table in January, however, after much speculation, Kinnear accepted the vacant manager's position at Dover Athletic. Goalkeeper Craig Holloway was placed in temporary charge of the side, and brought in [[Simon Osborn]] as joint manager. The club dropped from the top of the table and finished outside the play-offs. After a poor start to the [[2013–14 in English football|2013–14]] season, Holloway resigned his role as joint manager, leaving Osborn in sole charge. Results failed to improve and Osborn was sacked at the beginning of December 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Redsull|first=Kevin|title=Margate Football Club sack manager Simon Osborn and his assistant Ian Docker|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/osborn-sacked-by-margate--9959/|access-date=4 May 2014|newspaper=Kent Online|date=9 December 2013|archive-date=4 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504223115/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/osborn-sacked-by-margate--9959/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2014–15 in English football|2014–15]] season, the first full season under manager [[Terry Brown (football manager)|Terry Brown]], Margate finished in 3rd place in the Isthmian League Premier Division, ensuring the team's qualification for the play-offs for promotion to the [[National League South]] (formerly Conference South). The play-offs were delayed by a lengthy appeal against a points deduction applied to fifth-placed [[Enfield Town F.C.|Enfield Town]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Enfield-Town-lose-play-appeal/story-26486728-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716131444/http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Enfield-Town-lose-play-appeal/story-26486728-detail/story.html|archive-date=16 July 2015|title=Enfield Town lose play-off appeal|first=Jon|last=Phipps|work=Isle of Thanet Gazette|date=12 May 2015|access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref> but when they eventually began, Margate defeated [[Dulwich Hamlet F.C.|Dulwich Hamlet]] in the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Margate-reach-play-final/story-26504711-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516040113/http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Margate-reach-play-final/story-26504711-detail/story.html|archive-date=16 May 2015|title=Margate reach play-off final with Dulwich win|first=Jon|last=Phipps|work=Isle of Thanet Gazette|date=14 May 2015|access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref> In the final Margate played [[Hendon F.C.|Hendon]], who had finished one place above them in the league, but a single goal from Ryan Moss gave them victory and promotion to the National League South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Moss-strike-secures-promotion-Margate/story-26518984-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519000306/http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Moss-strike-secures-promotion-Margate/story-26518984-detail/story.html|archive-date=19 May 2015|title=Moss strike secures promotion for Margate|first=Jon|last=Phipps|work=Isle of Thanet Gazette|date=17 May 2015|access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref> Following a poor start to the 2015–16 season, Terry Brown was sacked.<ref name="brownout">{{cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport/gate-sack-boss-brown-47465/|title=Margate sack manager Terry Brown and assistant Stuart Cash after 3–0 defeat to St Albans in Vanarama National League South|publisher=Kent Online|date=5 December 2015|access-date=7 December 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222155557/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport/gate-sack-boss-brown-47465/|url-status=live}}</ref> and replaced by Margate goalkeeper [[Nikki Bull]] and defender Jamie Stuart until the end of that season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/news/nikki-bull-announced-as-new-blues-boss-1541005.html |title=Nikki Bull Announced as new Blues Boss |first=Ryan |last=Day |access-date=26 July 2016 |publisher=Margate F.C. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714114617/http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/news/nikki-bull-announced-as-new-blues-boss-1541005.html |archive-date=14 July 2016 }}</ref> In April 2016 Bull was appointed first team manager,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/news/nikki-bull-appointed-permanent-first-team-manager-1598042.html |title=Nikki Bull Appointed Permanent First Team Manager |first=Ryan |last=Day |access-date=26 July 2016 |publisher=Margate F.C. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519002834/http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/news/nikki-bull-appointed-permanent-first-team-manager-1598042.html |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref> but was unable to prevent the team being relegated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/sport/macca-hails-incredible-fleet-124123/|title=Ebbsfleet United boss Daryl McMahon on the 1–0 win at Margate|first=Steve|last=Tervet|access-date=22 April 2017|date=17 April 2017|publisher=Kent Online|archive-date=23 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423071045/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/sport/macca-hails-incredible-fleet-124123/|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2021 the team continue to play in the [[Isthmian League]] Premier Division.<ref name="fchd" />

==Colours and crest==
Margate's modern colours are blue and white, first adopted in 1949,<ref name="OHist" /> but the team have worn a number of other colour combinations. The club's earliest known colours were black and white, and in the 1930s the team wore amber and black.<ref name="OHist">{{cite web
| url = http://www.margate-fc.com/history.php
| title = History/Honours
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = Margate F.C.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070302190748/http://www.margate-fc.com/history.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2 March 2007}}</ref>  The club's current crest is a simplified version of the coat of arms of the town of Margate,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.mayormargate.plus.com/
| title = The Mayor and Charter Trustees of Margate
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = The Mayor and Charter Trustees of Margate
| archive-date = 27 June 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070627020802/http://www.mayormargate.plus.com/
| url-status = live
}}</ref> incorporating a lion conjoined to a ship's hull (a reference to the arms of the [[Cinque Ports]])<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cinqueports.org/heraldry.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070716132015/http://www.cinqueports.org/heraldry.htm
| archive-date = 16 July 2007
| title = The heraldry of the cinque ports
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = Official Website of The Confederation of the Cinque Ports
}}</ref> and the white horse emblem of Kent.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.kent.gov.uk/Community/kent-and-its-people/history-of-kent
| title = The history of Kent
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = Kent County Council
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220532/http://www.kent.gov.uk/Community/kent-and-its-people/history-of-kent| archive-date = 26 September 2007}}</ref>

Margate's shirts have borne various sponsors' logos including the pop group [[Bad Manners]], whose name appeared on the team's kit as part of a sponsorship deal with their record label in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/1694949.stm
| title = Margate master testing times
| access-date = 29 May 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
| date = 6 December 2001
| location = London
| archive-date = 22 March 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090322045449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/eng_conf/1694949.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> Lead singer [[Buster Bloodvessel]] was running a hotel in Margate at the time and actually joined the football club's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/01/bands-sponsoring-teams-knowledge-trivia|title=Which football teams have been sponsored by bands?|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 July 2009|access-date=19 April 2016|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140552/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/01/bands-sponsoring-teams-knowledge-trivia|url-status=live}}</ref> Another band, [[The Libertines]], sponsored the club for the 2018–19 season after starting work on a recording studio and hotel in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45151029|title=The Libertines sponsor Margate FC|publisher=BBC|date=10 August 2018|access-date=31 December 2018|archive-date=5 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105231140/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45151029|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Stadium==
[[File:HartsdownPark2014.jpg|thumb|left|Hartsdown Park photographed in 2014]]
The stadium in [[Hartsdown Park]] has been Margate's home since 1929,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3470641.stm|title=New hope for football stadium|publisher=BBC|date=8 February 2004|access-date=19 April 2016|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140628/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3470641.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> the club having used at least six grounds before moving to Hartsdown Park,<ref name=NLCD>{{cite book|first1=Mike|last1=Williams|first2=Tony|last2=Williams|date=2020|title=Non-League Club Directory 2021|page=544 |isbn=978-1869833848}}</ref> the same year the park itself opened to the public.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.gardenhistory.org.uk/ukpg/place.asp?PlaceID=HARTSDOW
 |title=United Kingdom Database of Historic Parks and Gardens
 |access-date=30 May 2007
|publisher=University of York
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008135401/http://www.gardenhistory.org.uk/ukpg/place.asp?PlaceID=HARTSDOW
 |archive-date=8 October 2007
}}</ref> Little development of the stadium took place until 2002, when the club launched an ambitious scheme to completely redevelop the site.<ref name=Y57>{{cite book|title=Gone But Not Forgotten Part 31|first=Dave|last=Twydell|page=57}}</ref>  The club moved out and the old stadium, which was constructed mainly from timber and corrugated iron,<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=EDW6&id=54178
 |last        = Wallis
 |first       = Mark
 |title       = About the Ground: Hartsdown Park
 |access-date  = 2 June 2007
|publisher   = The Little Gazette
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070731045910/http://www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=EDW6
 |archive-date = 31 July 2007
}}</ref> was demolished in early 2003, but the local council disputed the plans submitted.<ref name="CIC">{{cite web
| url = http://www.clubsincrisis.com/Club_Detail.asp?Key=77
| title = CVA Signed, Sealed and Approved!
| date = 28 December 2005
| access-date = 2 June 2007
| publisher = Clubs in Crisis
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070409061233/http://www.clubsincrisis.com/Club_Detail.asp?Key=77 <!--Added by H3llBot-->
| archive-date = 9 April 2007
}}</ref> Although planned to be completed by August 2003, the redevelopment dragged on for three years, mired in issues regarding planning permission for the commercial facilities the club wanted to build in addition to the stadium itself.<ref name=Y57 /><ref>{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4498473.stm
| title = Football club in administration
| date = 29 April 2005
| access-date = 2 June 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
| location = London
| archive-date = 5 February 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140552/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4498473.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> The team spent three years ground-sharing with other Kent clubs, but club officials' failure to confirm a return date to Hartsdown led to Margate's expulsion from the [[Conference National]] in 2004.<ref name="BBC" /><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.confguide.com/newsArticle.do?id=1290
 | title = Margate opt for demotion
| date = 21 May 2004
| access-date = 8 January 2008
| publisher = ConfGuide.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050507224821/http://www.confguide.com/newsArticle.do?id=1290 |archive-date = 7 May 2005}}</ref> In 2005 the club was finally able to return to the ground, albeit with pre-fabricated stands and temporary buildings in place.<ref name=Y57 />  In 2014, the club applied to the local council for permission to erect six new temporary stands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Margate-install-temporary-seating-Hartsdown-Park/story-21324188-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140827115723/http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Margate-install-temporary-seating-Hartsdown-Park/story-21324188-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 August 2014|work=Isle of Thanet Gazette|first=Thomas|last=Brown|title=Margate FC to install temporary seating at Hartsdown Park|date=3 July 2014|access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref>

The club's ultimate plan involved a stadium with a capacity of 5,000 forming part of a complex incorporating a hotel, fitness centre, conference centre, all-weather pitch and ten 5-a-side pitches.<ref name="CIC" /> Although it was announced that work on the 5-a-side pitch complex was to begin in May 2007,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.margate-fc.com/news_features.php?misc=search&subaction=showfull&id=1179410707&archive=&cnshow=news&start_from=&go=search
| title = Club News Update
| date = 17 May 2007
| access-date = 25 May 2007
| publisher = Margate F.C.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927035542/http://www.margate-fc.com/news_features.php?misc=search&subaction=showfull&id=1179410707&archive=&cnshow=news&start_from=&go=search <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref> ground was not in fact broken for a further four months.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.margate-fc.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1189435007&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
| title = Gate development underway
| date = 10 September 2007
| access-date = 9 October 2007
| publisher = Margate F.C.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071113000947/http://www.margate-fc.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1189435007&archive=&start_from=&ucat=& <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 13 November 2007}}</ref>
Finally, after a series of false starts over a nearly 20-year period, the club was able to purchase the freehold of the ground from [[Thanet District Council]] in January 2019, leading to the club announcing plans in December 2023 for a complete redevelopment of the stadium, in conjunction with IHG Hotels, scheduled to commence in February 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/football-club-s-stadium-redevelopment-start-date-confirmed-298270/|title=Margate FC's redevelopment of Hartsdown Park alongside new Holiday Inn Express set for 2024 start date|first=Max|last=Chesson|work=Kent Online|publisher=[[KM Group]]|accessdate=2 January 2024|date=8 December 2023}}</ref>

==Supporters==
[[File:Margator in 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Margate mascot Margator]]
In the 1920s crowds of up to 3,000 were common at Hartsdown Park,<ref>{{cite book|title=Gone But Not Forgotten Part 31|first=Dave|last=Twydell|page=56}}</ref> but in the modern era attendances are more modest. At the midpoint of the 2017–18 season, the team's average attendance was 507. This was third highest in the Isthmian League Premier Division behind Dulwich Hamlet and [[Billericay Town F.C.|Billericay Town]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.isthmian.co.uk/attendances-continue-on-an-upward-trajectory-46006?external_domain=www.isthmian.co.uk |publisher=Isthmian League |title=Attendances Continue On An Upward Trajectory |first=Ian |last=Townsend |date=2 February 2018 |access-date=5 February 2021 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140621/https://www.isthmian.co.uk/attendances-continue-on-an-upward-trajectory-46006?external_domain=www.isthmian.co.uk |url-status=live }}</ref> During their three seasons in the Conference National, from 2001–02 to [[2003–04 in English football|2003–04]], the club's average home attendances were 1,233,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2001
 | title = Stats 2001/2: Margate
| access-date = 8 January 2008
| publisher = ConfGuide.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050909023102/http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2001 |archive-date = 9 September 2005}}</ref> 684,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2002
 | title = Stats 2002/3: Margate
| access-date = 8 January 2008
| publisher = ConfGuide.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050503235851/http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2002 |archive-date = 3 May 2005}}</ref> and 562.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2003
 | title = Stats 2003/4: Margate
| access-date = 8 January 2008
| publisher = ConfGuide.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050126223900/http://www.confguide.com/stats.do?tab=attendances&club=marg&season=2003 |archive-date = 26 January 2005}}</ref>

The club has an active independent supporters' association.  The fans took an active part in getting the stadium ready for the club's return in 2005.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4167836.stm
| title = Football club enjoys homecoming
| date = 20 August 2005
| access-date = 30 May 2007
| publisher = BBC Sport
| location = London
| archive-date = 5 February 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140557/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4167836.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> <!-- This text was referenced by a permanently deadlink and Google gives no reliable source for it: The supporters' association began production of a fanzine called Blues News in 2008. -->

==Statistics and records==
[[File:Margategraph16.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Margate's league positions since the formation of the Alliance Premier League in 1979. Yellow lines represent the breaks between divisions, level numbers refer to the level of the overall [[English football league system]].]]
Margate's best ever league finish since the establishment of the [[Alliance Premier League]] in 1979 was the 8th-place finish in the Conference National (level{{nbsp}}5 of the overall [[English football league system]]) in 2001–02. The team have twice progressed as far as the third round proper of the FA Cup, in 1935–36 and [[1972–73 in English football|1972–73]], and reached the quarter-finals of the [[FA Trophy]] in 2001–02.<ref name="fchd" />  The club's biggest victory is 12–1, achieved against [[Deal Town F.C.|Deal Cinque Ports]] in the FA Cup first qualifying round in 1919 and against [[Erith & Belvedere F.C.|Erith & Belvedere]] in the [[Kent Football League (1894–1959)|Kent League]] in the 1927–28 season.<ref name=NLCD/>  The Gate's heaviest defeat was 11–0 against [[AFC Bournemouth]] in the FA Cup first round on 20 November 1971.<ref name=NLCD/>

The highest recorded attendance at Hartsdown Park was 14,169 for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup in 1972–73.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.kentleague.com/club%20pages/First/Margate.php
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101102233015/http://www.kentleague.com/club%20pages/First/Margate.php
| archive-date = 2 November 2010
| title = Opponents: Margate
| access-date = 30 May 2007
| publisher = AFC Wimbledon
}}</ref>  Margate's all-time appearance record holder is [[Bob Harrop]], who played 564 times.<ref name=NLD11>{{cite book|title=Non-League Club Directory 33rd Edition|publisher=TW Publications Ltd|date=2011|page=578|isbn=9781869833688}}</ref>  [[Martin Buglione]] holds the record for most career goals with 158.<ref name=NLCD/>  Jack Palethorpe holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season, having scored 66 in the [[1929-30 in English football|1929–30 season]].<ref name=NLD11 />

==Managers==
{{further|List of Margate F.C. managers}}
Margate's first known manager was Arthur Graves, who was installed as manager when Margate Town was reformed in 1929.<ref name="cheshunt">{{citation|title=Ambers: Official Matchday Programme of Cheshunt F.C.|date=14 September 2019|publisher=[[Cheshunt F.C.]]|page=19}}</ref> By far the club's longest-serving manager was Almer Hall, who was manager for twenty years from 1950 until 1970.<ref name="cheshunt" />  Several former professional players have managed the club, the most high-profile being the former Welsh international [[Terry Yorath]].<ref name="kentonline.co.uk"/>

==Current squad==
{{updated|8 January 2024}}
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=Reece Hobbs}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=[[Harry Seaden]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Ellis Ashworth}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Harry Hudson}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Archie Johnson}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Lewis Knight}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Skye Salmon}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=GRN|pos=DF|name=[[Tyrone Sterling]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Sam Blackman}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Montel Agyemang]]}}
{{fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=USA|pos=MF|name=[[Taner Dogan]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Rohdell Gordon]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Ben Greenhalgh]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Leo Mazzone}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Godfrey Poku]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Rory Sutcliffe}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Vinnie Bowman}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=[[Stephen Cawley|Steve Cawley]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Fyn Rutherford}}
{{fs end}}
Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/teams/mens-first-team/squad/|title=First team squad|publisher=Margate F.C.|accessdate=9 January 2024}}</ref>

==Current staff==
:''As of 8 August 2024''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Position
!Name
|-
|Chairman
|Ricky Owen<ref name=officials>{{cite web|url=https://www.margate-fc.co.uk/contact/|title=Contact Information for Margate Football Club|publisher=Margate F.C.|access-date=22 July 2022|date=13 May 2022|archive-date=11 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811235617/https://www.margate-fc.co.uk/contact/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|Directors
|Steve Albon,<ref name=officials />
|-
|Non-Executive Directors
|Ryan Day<ref name=officials />
|-
|Club secretary
|Alan Anstice<ref name=officials />
|-
|Manager
|[[Ben Greenhalgh]]<ref name=officials /> 
|-
|Assistant manager
|Adam Flanagan<ref name=officials />
|-
|General manager
|Deny Wilson <ref name=officials />
|}

==Honours==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Honour !! Year(s)
|-
|'''[[Isthmian Football League|Isthmian League]]'''<br />Premier Division play-off winners
|[[2014–15 Isthmian League|2014–15]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />Premier Division champions
|[[2000–01 Southern Football League|2000–01]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />Division One champions
|[[1962–63 Southern Football League|1962–63]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />First Division (South) champions
|[[1977–78 Southern Football League|1977–78]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />Central Section champions
|[[1935–36 Southern Football League|1935–36]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />Eastern Section champions
|[[1935–36 Southern Football League|1935–36]]<ref name=fchd />
|-
|'''[[Southern Football League|Southern League]]'''<br />Midweek Section champions
|[[1936–37 Southern Football League|1936–37]]<ref name="fchd">{{cite web
| url = https://www.fchd.info/MARGATE.HTM
| title = Margate
| access-date = 30 May 2007
| publisher = Football Club History Database
| archive-date = 30 June 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070630163851/http://www.fchd.info/MARGATE.HTM
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
|-
|'''Southern League Cup''' winners
|[[1967–68 in English football|1967–68]], [[1997–98 in English football|1997–98]]<ref name="official58">{{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Leigh |title=The Official Centenary History of the Southern League |publisher=Paper Plane Publishing  |year=1993 |isbn=1-871872-08-1 |page=58}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Kent Football League (1894–1959)|Kent League]]''' champions
|[[1932–33 in English football|1932–33]], [[1937–38 in English football|1937–38]], [[1946–47 in English football|1946–47]], [[1947–48 in English football|1947–48]]<ref name="fchd" />
|-
|'''Kent League Cup''' winners
|[[1947–48 in English football|1947–48]], [[1953–54 in English football|1953–54]]<ref name=OHist />
|-
|'''[[Kent Senior Cup]]''' winners
|[[1935–36 in English football|1935–36]], [[1936–37 in English football|1936–37]], [[1973–74 in English football|1973–74]], [[1993–94 in English football|1993–94]],<br />[[1997–98 in English football|1997–98]], [[2002–03 in English football|2002–03]], [[2003–04 in English football|2003–04]], [[2004–05 in English football|2004–05]], [[2022–23 in English football|2022–23]]<ref name=OHist /><ref name="fchdk">{{cite web
| url = https://www.fchd.info/cups/kentsummary.htm
| title = Kent County Cup Summary
| access-date = 8 February 2021
| publisher = Football Club History Database
| archive-date = 4 December 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201204111155/https://fchd.info/cups/kentsummary.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
|}

==Rivalries==
Margate's main traditional rivalry is with Thanet neighbours [[Ramsgate F.C.|Ramsgate]], with whom Margate contest the Thanet derby.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/margate/3097191.stm| title = Margate take on local rivals| date = 25 July 2003| access-date = 3 April 2012| publisher = BBC| archive-date = 5 February 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140559/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/margate/3097191.stm| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Rams-win-Thanet-derby/story-12010629-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421125435/http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Rams-win-Thanet-derby/story-12010629-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2013|title=Rams win Thanet derby|publisher=This Is Kent|date=27 December 2008|access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref>  Matches between the two teams drew large crowds in the 1960s, but the rivalry has waned in subsequent decades, largely due to the two teams rarely playing in the same league.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/sport/old-rivals-go-toe-to-toe-for-cup-a19725/|title=Old rivals go toe to toe for cup|work=[[Kent Messenger|Kent Online]]|date=12 August 2005|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=9 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209144134/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/sport/old-rivals-go-toe-to-toe-for-cup-a19725/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Another of Margate's rivals is Dover Athletic. Despite similarly meeting rarely in competitive games over recent years, both teams were in the Conference in the 2001–02 season, when the two games between Margate and Dover were watched by a combined total of over 6,000 spectators. The game played at Margate's Hartsdown Park stadium drew a crowd of 3,676, and 2,325 were in attendance for the game at Dover's Crabble stadium.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.confguide.com/fixtures.do?club=marg&season=2001
 | title = Fixtures 2001/2 : Margate
| access-date = 8 January 2008
| publisher = Confguide.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070408213221/http://www.confguide.com/fixtures.do?club=marg&season=2001 |archive-date = 8 April 2007}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Margate FC.ogg|date=25 October 2007}}
* {{official website|http://www.margate-fc.co.uk/}}

{{Margate F.C.}}
{{Isthmian League}}

[[Category:Margate F.C.| ]]
[[Category:Football clubs in England]]
[[Category:Football clubs in Kent]]
[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1896]]
[[Category:1896 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Margate]]
[[Category:Kent Football League (1894–1959)]]
[[Category:Isthmian League clubs]]
[[Category:Southern Football League clubs]]
[[Category:Southern Counties East Football League]]
[[Category:National League (English football) clubs]]