MARGATE fans suffered a double blow at the weekend. They endured a wasted trip to Hampshire on Saturday, and the club’s future, seemingly safe a week ago, was plunged into further doubt.

The Nationwide South game at Basingstoke was due to be the first ever meeting between the two clubs, only for it to be was called off 40 minutes before kick off. The match referee decided the pitch was unfit following torrential rain.

Meanwhile, supporters who turned up to last Thursday's open meeting at Hartsdown Park, bouyant about recent news about the club, were less so at the end.

Chairman Bernie Overton said: “Keith Piper (stadium consultant) attended the meeting and told us that the council’s written offer included two amendments, but told us he couldn’t go into detail.”

“About 50 fans attended the meeting, but they all went away rather despondent. We seem to cross one hurdle only for another to be put in the way.”

It is almost exactly a year to the day since Thanet District Council and the club issued a statement saying that were in talks about the club returning to the town.

Mr Overton added: “It does seem like it’s history repeating itself, and the fans just want to see Margate Football Club back playing at Hartsdown Park.”

A last ditch meeting the week before had, it seemed, ended with both the council and the club reaching a solution for Margate to return.

An offer of a ten-year lease was made and accepted by the Football Conference chief executive John Moules

Council leader Sandy Ezekiel said then: "The council hopes the latest proposals succeed and will continue to support any move to rebuild the stadium and keep the club alive.

“However I feel if this latest scheme fails it could be the end of the line.”

The club expected the offer in writing the following Monday, but it didn’t arrive until 48 hours later when the club immediately put it in the hands of their legal team.

Once again the club’s fans were left in limbo, and many felt, privately at least that Tuesday’s trip to Sutton might be the last.

Margate have invested more than £200,000 in trying to win approval for a return to their former ground, and ground-share arrangements at Dover and Ashford have kept the club going.

The current agreement with Ashford expires in December. Margate are due to face Weston Super Mare at Homelands on Saturday.