Margate are making sure their preparation is perfect ahead of their longest Vanarama National League South trip of the season to Truro on Saturday.

Long-term planning when the fixtures were first announced in the summer ensured this third meeting between the clubs already this season - a round-trip of 600 miles plus, would always involve an overnight stay, with boss Terry Brown eager to leave nothing to chance.

Brown said: “It’s too far to travel in a day, but we can’t afford to make excuses and allow the long journey to affect our performance.

“It's up to me and my assistant Stuart Cash to make it as fun as possible, and it also gives the squad a chance to mix with each other which they don’t do very often, as we are in transit most of the time, even for home games.

He added: “I expect and need to get more out of the squad, and look to be better placed in the table by December/January.

“It’s an important weekend and gives me a chance to talk one-to-one with the squad and see what their feelings are, particularly the ones who are not playing"

“They want to be involved every week, and I know 90% of my bench, could be playing for clubs elsewhere.”

Looking ahead to facing Truro again, Brown said: “We know more about them than any team in the league. and it will be an incredibly hard game."

Lewis Taylor (achilles), Jake Goodman (foot), Christian Jolley (ill) and Charlie Allen (suspended) won’t travel to Cornwall.

Meanwhile Brown spent the early part of the week, watching the video of Gate’s FA Cup defeat against Forest Green.

He said: “I have seen it three or four times, and my main reflection is they came and stopped us playing.

“Then the (First Round) draw paired them against my old club AFC Wimbledon, which only rubbed salt into the wound.”