Minor work at Hartsdown Park will ensure Margate gain promotion

Monday 31st December 2007

Margate chairman Malcolm Rowlett shared his reflections on 2007 – and looked forward to the new year with plenty of promise both on and off the field.
Robin Trott’s injury-hit side are currently in seventh place in the Ryman Premier League table, having won eight, drawn eight and lost eight of their first 24 games and go into the new year just one point adrift of the play-off’s.

“Well obviously I’ve been a little but disappointed that we haven’t won more games, but I think that’s just been basically due to the injuries we’ve had,” Mr Rowlett told www.margate-fc.com.

Off the pitch, the highlight of the year has been Margate’s new Hartsdown Football 5’s centre, and the chairman added: “The opening of the 5-asides has been a great bonus to us, and I’m sure next year we’ll reap the benefits of that.”
Thinking about 2008 and beyond, thoughts turned to the further development at Hartsdown Park. And Mr Rowlett revealed: “Opening the 5-asides is purely phase one. I’m in very, very deep conversations with the local authority at the moment.

“We have got an overall plan that seems to be coming into place extremely well, and I think next year everyone will be surprised with the extent of the re-development that’s planned and hopefully will be starting. It’s very positive now.”

Given how tight the top of this season’s Ryman Premier League is, thoughts turned to the possibility of a promotion via the play-offs, this season. The good news is that there would be modest works required to ensure that the Blues could take their place in Blue Square South, should the team win a coveted promotion place. Mr Rowlett said: “We (need to do) very little work to the existing ground at the moment to get us up into that position and then follow on with the new development.

“But (planning for) the new development is very well advanced, extremely well advanced.”

Article courtesy of www.margate-fc.com