Margate 0 Grays Athletic 6

MARGATE boss Chris Kinnear was given a real indication of what life might be like in Nationwide South this season, as full-time Grays handed out this six goal hammering at Ashford on Tuesday night.

The Essex side have knocked Margate out of the FA Cup twice in the last two years, and the win took them top of the table. They look well geared to launch a sustained push for top flight Conference status, but will face more difficult challenges than this in the weeks and months to come.

Grays led 1-0 at half time, but ran Margate ragged in the second half, with three of their five goals scored by substitutes, Freddie Eastwood (2) and Vill Powell. One time Gillingham target Liam George hit two, one in each half, while Martin Carthy added the other.

Margate statisticians were left scratching their heads afterwards, trying to remember a heavier defeat under Kinnear. A 5-2 home defeat by Bashley in February 1997 was believed to be the last, on a disappointing night for the Thanet faithful who made the trip to Homelands.

The match started in bizarre fashion with referee Fred Meilack halting play after deciding that the two teams colours clashed, with Grays forced to wear Ashford's strip, a situation made more confusing by the fact that several numbers didn't tally with the team sheet.

Che Stadhart created Margate's best chance, with his strong run into the box bringing a corner, but Grays led at half time, after George fired past Scott Ward. Gate fans thought he was offside, and he also seemed to control the ball with his hand, before scoring.

Greg Oates saw another good chance blocked in the first half, but from the moment George added the second five minutes after the break, it was all one-way traffic. Ward kept out a certain third, but Martin Carthy headed Grays further in front, before being booked. Kinnear sent on Alex Charalambous to replace Peter Benevides, before ex-Gills pair, Grays boss Mark Stimson and assistant Scott Barrett, sent on Eastwood and Powell with dramatic effect.

Eastwood made it 4-0, and Powell added the fifth, but the best was left to last as Eastwood unleashed an unstoppable 25 yard drive that lodged in the stanchion support.

Eastwood might even have completed a quick-fire hat-trick, but Ward touched his effort away for a corner.

MARGATE: Ward, Oates, Green, Gradley, Barnett, Annon, Keister, Benevides( Charalambous 63), Stadhart, Baptiste, Clarke. Subs (not used): Pulman, Ngongou, Junju, Hussein.