Action from Folkestone Invicta's opening-day win over Walton & Hersham. Picture: Paul Amos

Margate opened their Ryman League, Premier Division campaign with a 1-1 draw at Wealdstone on Saturday.

The Gate dominated the first half and manager Chris Kinnear said: “We should have been 2-0 up at least at half-time. We put them under pressure. There was a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of pace, we were getting at them - every knockdown we won. But you’ve got to be realistic, it’s hard to do that for 90 minutes.”

Margate took just seven minutes to go in front when Tom Bradbrook pulled the ball back for Kwesi Appiah to bundle home from close range. But Wealdstone improved after the break and they equalised on 70 minutes when Tom O'Regan lashed a 20-yard effort into the top corner.

Cray Wanderers crashed to a 5-2 home defeat to AFC Hornchurch on Sunday despite taking an early lead through Leigh Bremner, who also scored Cray's second goal five minutes from time.

It was also a bad start to the Ryman League, Division 1 South campaign on Saturday for Maidstone United, who went down to a 3-0 home defeat to title favourites Whitehawk.

New boys Hythe Town lost by the same scoreline at Godalming, while Faversham were beaten 1-0 by Worthing at Salters Lane.

But there were opening-day victories for Kent's four other clubs in Ryman League, Division 1 South. Goals from Stuart King and Liam Friend earned Folkestone Invicta a 2-1 home success over Walton & Hersham, while Whitstable were 3-2 winners at Walton Casuals thanks to a last-minute strike from Stuart Vahid, who had re-signed for the club from Ramsgate just 24 hours earlier.

Keelan Mooney and captain Peter Hawkins were also on target for the Oystermen.

Ramsgate were 1-0 home winners over Ryman newcomers Crawley Down courtesy of a first-half stoppage time goal from Mark Lovell, and Sittingbourne won 1-0 at Eastbourne Town where Billy Manners scored.

In Ryman League, Division 1 North Chatham Townmarked their return with a 1-0 victory at Maldon & Tiptree thanks to a header in the fifth minute of injury-time from Brad Potter, but Thamesmead Town crashed to a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Heybridge Swifts.