Jamie Coyle knows all about the Thanet rivalry as Margate and Ramsgate meet for a place in the Kent Senior Cup final.

Rams boss Coyle has had a foot in both camps, working as assistant manager at Hartsdown Park under Jay Saunders before moving to Southwood, initially as a player, on the eve of last season.

It’s 14 years since the sides were in the same league - Rams suffering Isthmian Premier relegation in 2009 - but the rivalry has been kept alive by the annual pre-season Thanet Cup.

Coyle, standing in for Saunders, led Margate to a 5-2 victory at Ramsgate in the 2021 clash, and was part of the Rams side who won 2-1 at Hartsdown Park last summer.

Hartsdown is the venue for tonight’s Kent Senior Cup semi-final, with the winners facing Welling or Chatham in the final at Priestfield on May 3.

Coyle said: “It’s a massive local derby for us and we know Margate are going to be just as hungry as we are to win.

“We’re going to go there as strong as we possibly can. It’s a huge game.

“I’ve been involved with both clubs and I understand how much the fans on both sides want to win the game.

“It’s important we put on a really positive positive and hopefully that leads to us getting a result.

“The pre-season game was a fiery affair and I’m expecting the same. I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s an opportunity for our players to show that, if we do get promoted, we’re capable of competing with teams at the next level.

"Subconsciously, you look at things like that.

"We played Tonbridge, who are in National South, in the last round and the players stepped up and showcased what they’re all about and beat them.

“This is another opportunity to do that.”

Ramsgate have been pipped to the Isthmian South East title by Chatham but still have the play-offs to come.

They’ve made big strides off the pitch under chairman James Lawson in the past couple of years but Margate, managed by Coyle’s ex-team-mates Reece Prestedge and Ben Greenhalgh, remain at the higher level.

Coyle said: “I actually took the Margate team in the Thanet Cup last season because Jay Saunders was on holiday and that was my first experience of the changes at Ramsgate.

"The infrastructure at the club is superb, it really is, in the terms of the fanbase, the youth set-up, the ground, everything. I was so impressed that day.

“James has transformed the club and it’s got the infrastructure to go through the leagues.

“There’s not been so much in the background at Margate but Ben and Reece are good friends of mine.

“We played together for years and they’ve done a brilliant job since taking over from Andy Drury.

“They’ve turned their fortunes around and have done well to stay in the league from where they were when they took the job.

"They’ve got good players in their squad and it will be a really tough game.”

Ramsgate lifted their sole Kent Senior Cup in 1964 while Margate have won the competition eight times, including three successive seasons under Chris Kinnear in the early 2000s.