Nikki Bull described the final day of the Vanarama National League South season as the most stressful of his football career.

The Gate lost 2-0 at Bath but survived relegation because their goal difference was one better than Havant and Waterlooville, who were held 1-1 by Weston-super-Mare.

The Hawks had also drawn their game in hand, 0-0 at home to Truro, on the Thursday.

At one stage on Saturday other results meant Bull’s side were actually in the drop zone, and he said the tension as the afternoon’s drama unfolded was almost unbearable.

The Gate boss explained: “I didn’t sleep at all the night before the game which is unusual for me but we started ever so well.

“In the first 10 to 15 minutes we had several attempts at goal, you could see the players were right up for it.

“Then we heard Havant and St Albans were both winning and I thought ‘great we’re in the drop zone.’

“Even so I was pretty relaxed because of the way the boys were playing, but then in first-half injury time, and from their first touch in our area, Bath scored.

“Walking into the dressing room at half-time it was like the perfect storm. I told the boys as soon as they sat down that the other teams were winning and said we’ve got to find two goals to save our season. Again we started the second half really well only for their first attack of the half to end up in our net.”

Weston’s equaliser at Havant meant the Gate would stay up providing they did not concede another goal and Bull admits that scenario led to some desperate measures in the closing minutes.

He added: “It was surreal. There we were 2-0 down and we were holding the ball in the corners.

“Some people had Sky Sports on their phone and others had Football Web Pages but everyone seemed to be saying something different about the goal difference.

“When our game finished there were still three minutes of injury time at Havant so everyone was sitting on the pitch and when we got the news (that Margate were safe) I didn’t really know what to do.

“It was strange, for an hour there my life was in someone else’s hands.
“It was probably the most stressful afternoon of my (football) life.”

Bull claimed Margate’s survival was nothing to celebrate given the ‘shambles’ of the season the club have had, but he believes staying up does give him the chance to rebuild.

He said: “When I was given the job (in December) I was asked to keep the club up and if you look at the bare facts that’s what I’ve done, but we stayed up by one goal so for me it’s not in any way satisfactory, it’s more a case of what might have been.”