Two second half Frannie Collin goals were enough for Bostick Premier Margate to see off Evo-Stik Southern East One Egham Town at Hartsdown Park on the Kent coast, setting up a Third Qualifying Round tie at Bath City on Tuesday evening.
The game was pretty much settled in a twenty minute purple patch for the hosts in the second period when the two goals were scored, and was the only time in the contest when the home side looked a league above their Surreyvisitors who more than matched their higher league opponents in the other 70 minutes of the contest.
Indeed Egham saw an early effort blocked whilst Margate also had a sniff of an opening but were thwarted inside the visitors area, and then the hosts saw a decent effort blocked, however the opening quarter hour or so had been pretty even.
On twenty minutes Egham struck a long range effort wide, but already you could detect a degree of frustration amongst the Bostick Premier hosts and their fans as their team were struggling to get themselves going.
And four minutes later Egham had another effort from the edge of the box although it was straight the down keepers throat, however the Evo-Stik Southern East One visitors were playing well here, and just before the half hour a good Egham move saw the ball laid across the area and their goalbound effort was brilliantly blocked by a defender.
It took until the 31st minute for the hosts to properly threaten the visitors goal and they came so close to opening the scoring as a deflected header was brilliantly saved by the visitors keeper at full stretch, and then three minutes later another chance for the hosts saw a backheal set up an effort which the keeper saved with his legs, and then moments later a near post effort was deflected behind as the hosts were finally into their stride.
Seven minutes before the break the visitors had to do more defending and saw a volley fly over their crossbar, however it did remain goalless at the break. The hosts had taken a good half hour to get going, but the visitors would of been the happier of the two sides at the half.
Half Time Margate 0 Egham Town 0
The early exchanges of the second began like the first, altbough Egham had probably started the half the better however we were about to enter that purple patch from the hosts and it began with the visitors keeper having to tip a decent Margate effort round the post.
Ten minutes into the second half a goalmouth scramble inside the visitors area was just about cleared to safety by a desperate visitors defence, and two minutes after that the home side curled another effort inches over the bar as they were looking very dangerous by now.
The hosts continued to attack and just before the hour saw a dangerous cross tipped away by the Egham keeper, and then moments later a shot from twenty yards or so flew a foot over the visitors goal.
Margate continued to knock on the door and just past the hour mark saw a powerful free kick inexplicably punched back into the area by the keeper, but the follow up header went way over the bar, and two minutes after that the visiting stopper produced an incredible save to his left before recovering to kick the ball out of danger as the visitors survived again.
But in the 65th minute Margate finally blew the door down when Frannie Collin struck a powerful set play towards goal, saw it take a small nick off a defender, which deceived the keeper and saw him fail to keep the effort out despite his best efforts, and the hosts finally had a slender advantage.
Margate were absolutely humming by now and midway through the half saw a lovely one two end with the hosts in down the left, but found the visiting keeper there again to thwart them, saving the effort with his legs, before the rampant hosts got in again moments later and saw a shot across goal go just wide of the far post. It has been one way traffic for the last fifteen to twenty minutes.
And with twenty minutes remaining the hosts made it two goals in five minutes when they added a brilliant second, as a good move ended with a ball laid into path of Collin who side footed first time into the corner of the net and Margate had some breathing space.
With just over ten minutes remaining another delightful ball across from the hosts ended with the ball being prodded wide at the far post, however sincd the second goal the hosts tempo had dropped significantly, and Egham almost capitalised on this when they nearly got in on goal, but a fine last ditch tackle thwarted them.
The visitors never really threatened a comeback tbough and Margate did have two shots from range go off target late on before a free kick was headed over the Egham crossbar in stoppage, however they had done enough to progress into the final qualifying round and travel to Twerton Park to take on Vanarama South side Bath City on Tuesday night.
Full Time Margate 2 Egham Town 0
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