Margate 3 Forest Green 0

Last updated : 26 August 2002 By Footymad Previewer

Margate kick started their Conference season with a comfortable 3-0 win over bottom club Forest Greeen Rovers.

Margate were always in control after Charlie MacDonald put them ahead after 13 minutes and 3-0 was in the end a fair reflection.

After a tame opening Margate took the lead with the first chance of the game. Jay Saunders broke down the right and MacDonald reacted quickest to turn his low cross past keeper Steve Perrin.

Rovers nearly equalised straight away as only a desperate lunge by a Margate defender prevented Alex Meechan from having an open goal at the far post.

MacDonald should have grabbed a second for Margate but after beating three defenders and rounding Perrin he dragged his shot just wide of the near post.

But Margate made up for this miss in first-half injury time. MacDonald found Leon Braithwaite with a beautiful diagonal ball and Braithwaite bore down on goal before smashing an unstoppable shot across Perrin into the top corner.

Forest Green seemed to have brought themselves back into the game in the first minute of the second half as Meechan converted a low left-wing cross from close range but the goal was ruled out for offside, a decision which Rovers manager, Nigel Spink felt was harsh.

Margate wrapped up the points after 62 minutes with a free-kick from 22 yards. Mark Munday stepped up to curl the ball into the top right-hand corner.

John Keister nearly made it four a couple of minutes later as he dragged a shot narrowly wide of the far post.

There was plenty of goalmouth action as play swung from end to end but Rovers never looked like getting back into the game