Kentish Football 
We're looking to improve and to win things, says Margate player-assistant John Keister
Sunday 26th September 2010
MARGATE put in a Jeckyll and Hyde performance against Kingstonian in the FA Cup yesterday and have to travel to Kingsmeadow on Monday night for a second bite of the cherry.
Iain O‘Connell‘s side took the lead after a good start but relinquishing the advantage within two minutes. Perhaps there were mitigating circumstances with Ishmail Kamara, Tommy Osborne and Darren Marsden all missing, but manager O’Connell was still disappointed with the performance.
Reflecting on the game he told www.margate-fc.com: “It was probably a fair result but we were awful today.” In an honest assessment, he bemoaned this team’s attitude, citing over-confidence.
“When we started, I thought we were doing alright – the first 20 minutes. But then, (from when) we scored the goal, we were awful afterwards.
“To let a goal in straight away like that was comical really. That’s not like us.”
Certainly Gate’s recent record of conceding just three goals in six games suggests that the Blues have tightening up defensively.
The Gate boss described the second half as a “drab affair” although both sides had an opportunity to win it late on through Craig Coke (for Margate) and Gomez Dali (for Kingstonian).
On the positive side, the manager acknowledges his relief that his side were able to put in such a disappointing performance and still be in the competition. “To get a one all draw – you’d take that (before hand) if you knew how badly you were going to play,” he said.
One of the surprises so far this season has been the performances of assistant manager John Keister in the middle of the Margate defence. Notwithstanding his part in the error against the K’s, for former Sierra Leone international has been in good form and played more games than we would have envisaged at the start of the season. In fact, his six appearances so far this season have coincided with Gate’s defensive improvement.
“I’ve come back into the side just trying to do a job. We’ve had a few injuries so the gaffer has asked me to come back in and just try and do a job,” the former Dover Athletic star told www.margate-fc.com.
“We’ve had a few (decent) results so he’s decided just to stick with what we’re doing at the minute.”
On the match he said: “It’s just a bit frustrating. The game was so open today.
“But we’re still in it so that’s the good thing about it. We’ve got another chance on Monday so hopefully, that could be it for us.”
Keister also revealed something of the mentality of the side that manager O’Connell has been looking to build. “We’re looking to improve. We want to win things, we want to do well. The payers we’ve got in, the players the gaffer has brought in at this football club now are players are getting to the mentality where we’re not going to lose games.
“We want to get something out of every (game). We’re not going to win every game but we’re going to try to get something out of every game. And you can see that (attitude) with the frustration about giving a goal away and not playing as well as we have done, which a good sign.”
Article courtesy of www.margate-fc.com
www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this game
Kingstonian v Margate
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Second Qualifying Round Replay
Monday 27th September 2010
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Kingsmeadow Stadium, Jack Goodchild Way, 422a Kingston Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT1 3PB
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd