It's exciting times at Margate, says skipper and Academy coach Jamie Stuart

Sidcup-resident Stuart, 37, has enjoyed the highs and lows of professional and non-league football.

The defender started his career in the Football League with Charlton Athletic where he made 50 first team appearances. He went on to play professional football at Millwall, Bury and Southend United, before dropping into non-league football with Hornchurch, Grays Athletic, Rushden & Diamonds and more recently Sutton United.

Stuart has teamed up with Keith Levett, who is the director of FCA Ltd, to form a new Academy based at Long Lane Junior Football Club, Kidbrook Playing Fields, Blackheath, London SE3 8PB.

“I worked for Terry Brown at Wimbledon and when he got the job at Margate he employed me as captain and a first-team coach. It’s a great opportunity for me to go there,” said Stuart.

“The club got taken over by a new owner Bob Laslett, who is pushing the club forward and has got a lot of good backing, so there’s a lot of exciting times at the club.

“The club has got an Academy down near Margate but for me because I live in the London area, what we’re doing is setting up an Academy for Margate in the London area, in south-east London at Long Lane Junior Football Club.

“It’s also where Margate’s first team train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. They’ve got excellent facilities, astroturf, loads of pitches.  I think the owner of Long Lane was the first person to get a million pound grant from the government so the facilities there are unreal really!

“We’re looking to recruit players there.  They’ll be doing a btec level 3 and if there’s any good young players, to try to push for the Margate team, because any young players we want to be pushing for the first team.

“It’s very exciting times. The owner, who was originally from Margate as a kid, grew up watching them. He’s moved around. He’s a businessman. He’s also a director at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club and he runs the Academy there.

“We’ve also got contacts through Margate with Wolves so we’re looking to play friendly matches against them, whether it’ll be the youngsters or the first team.

“It’s attracting a lot of players and they’re building a new stadium and looking to find the youngsters that can be part of the future success of the club.”

Margate are not renowned for producing their own players, simply because of its location and have had to bring in players and managers from afar both now and in the past.

Stuart explained: ”This is the whole reason of me and Keith doing it in the London based areas.  The proof in the pudding is the better quality players come from London.

“We’re finding some good players in Kent but it will be a good opportunity for me and Keith to find the players and put forward to Margate and if the players do well and show the right attitude, they will get a chance.

“I’ve got a lot of contacts.  The players, if their good enough, they will get opportunities to train with the first team, also because Margate’s first team is based where the Academy is based the players will be mixing with the first team players and they will see and speak to Terry Brown, so that’s a good positive as well.

Reflecting on his own career, Stuart has seen it all.

He said: “I’ve played for Charlton, Millwall, England under 18s and under 21s. I’ve played with David Beckham.  I’ve played at all the top stadiums in the country. I’ve won promotions. I’ve got a lot of experience in the game.

“Every team I’ve been at, I’ve captained.  I’ve played in the Championship, all the way down to non-league.

“I was Terry Brown’s captain at Wimbledon. We beat Luton Town at Man City in the play-off final, which took us up to League Two.

“I’ve had some great times in the game and I’ve had some bad times so I’ve got a lot of experience to give the boys and try and guide them the right way.”

Every football crazy youngster dreams about making it as a professional footballer – but playing semi-professional football can be good too.

So how do footballers in Stuart’s Academy make it to the big time?

“The difference,” he says, “I’d say that the attitude, the work-rate, a little bit of desire, also having the right people around you.  The right coaching and guiding the players the right way, making them believe in themselves and trying to bring out the confidence because football’s a lot about confidence. 

“The youngsters will come and be quiet and not very confident. That’s a part that you want to bring out as well, get players to come out of their shell and have no fear and play attractive football.

“I’ve come from the League and I left AFC Wimbledon as captain and joined Sutton United (Conference South) as captain and it’s been part time for the last two years. It’s hard to try to fit jobs in and mix it up with your training.

“That’s why the education we’re providing, if they’re going to go and be realistic and some are going to go part-time and they need education. It can be a living out of it but it is hard work.”

Margate unveiled the arrival of former AFC Wimbledon manager Brown in December 2013 and despite currently sitting in seventeenth-place in the Ryman Premier League table with 50 points from 39 games – a safe fourteen points clear of relegation – you sense that there will be big things happening at Hartsdown Park next season.

Stuart agrees, saying: “This season for us really is building for next season. The manager is experimenting with players. He’s got players lined up for next season that are under contract (with other clubs presently).

“It’s finding the right players we want, having a good pre-season, gelling and building the momentum.

“Our aim next season is promotion and everyone involved with the club, players, staff are all confident that will happen – with hard work.”

Trial dates will be announced soon.

For further details please email Keith Levett at keith1968@aol.com