Trott in a state of shock as Margate lose seven goal thriller

A “shocked” Robin Trott couldn’t hide his disappointment after his Margate side threw away a 3-1 lead after 50 minutes to lose 4-3 to Maidstone United at Hartsdown Park yesterday, writes Stephen McCartney.

Three headed goals from Jay Saunders (two) and Rob Haworth gave Margate a 3-1 lead after 50 minutes and Haworth had a second goal ruled out before Trott headed into his own net to spark the Stones remarkable revival.

Luis Cumbers, 19, whose on loan at the Stones from League One side Gillingham, played his part in all four Maidstone United goals.

His exquisite right-footed 20-yard lob had made it 1-1 after eleven minutes after Saunders headed home Jimmy Jackson’s free-kick to give the Thanet side the lead after just 28 SECONDS.

Haworth headed home the second goal after forty minutes, following Ryan Peters’ corner and Saunders made it three inside the opening five minutes of the second half after being left unmarked from another Jackson free-kick.

Haworth turned in James Pinnock’s shot soon after but the offside flag was raised as the ball found the bottom right-hand corner.

But Trott sent the ball past Scott Chalmers-Stevens after 54 minutes when Cumbers had flicked Sam Tydeman’s free-kick towards the far-post.

And Cumbers rolled a shot into the bottom right-hand corner with thirteen minutes remaining, after a corner from substitute Aaron Lacy resulted in a scramble.

Margate threw away the points two minutes and 12 second into stoppage time.

Maidstone United goalkeeper Pat Mullin shanked his kick, but luckily for the Stones, the ball went straight to Cumbers’ feet.

Now playing on the left of midfield, the quick striker left Margate right-back Louis Smith behind and drilled a low cross towards the far post and Welshman Andy Martin, who did nothing throughout this value-for-money thriller, tapped home from close range.

After the game, Trott, 33, throw his kit bag onto the Hartsdown Park terrace, shook his head in disbelief and told www.kentishfootball.co.uk: “Shocked. Major shocked. We had total control of the game!

“We was cruising, is the word. Just defensive errors. Good balls in the box by them, good balls over the top. Basic. But we’ve got to defend. I’m just very shocked and disappointed!

“Yes, enjoyed playing in it, it was fantastic, just first goal was a slight mistake, second goal, OG by me. A good ball whipped in, carried the momentum going towards goal.

“Third goal, a corner, a good ball, inswinging into the front post, just scarambled and the fourth one, ball over the right-back, two men in the middle, who do you pick up?

“Just so disappointed. We had a fourth goal and at 3-1 we just felt so comfortable and so did the boys.

“I think a couple of the boys’ pointed out we dropped too deep, let them back in the game.

“We’re just letting in too many goals at the moment. I think we’ve shut up shop lately but a couple of the boys’ frustration is that we do keep swapping the team around and the back four. You’ve got to try and keep the same side all the time.”

Trott felt his side should have beaten a Maidstone United side, that’s climbed from the bottom of the Ryman Premier League into sixth place, with 22 points from sixteen games with a nine match unbeaten run.

“We done our homework on them,” said Trott. “We knew what they was about. I felt well confident before the game (and) that’s why I’m so gutted and the boys’ are so gutted because it was so easy.

“We’re just shooting ourselves in the foot every time.”

Trott admitted that he spent the entire week on the telephone trying to bring in a central defender to plug a defence that’s leaked 25 goals in 16 games.

He said: “Just looking at myself well, I had to play today. But playing the game we was so in control.”

He added: “I think we need a new centre half and a right-winger badly. That’s what we need out there. I’ve been trying all week.

“But we’re two players short of a magnificent team, just getting them in at the moment.

“I think we weathered the storm in the first half. They probably had 15-20 minutes of the game, trying to put pressure on us trying to get back into the game.

“When we let the ball go over our head at the back then they lobbed our keeper but 3-1 and a fourth one disallowed, I don’t know! I’m just well shocked!”

Trott’s Margate are without a midweek game before he takes his side to Billericay Town next Saturday, a side that’s surprisingly in the bottom three - but with games in hand.

“Got a tough one, got a tough game next week but away from home, which we don’t mind,” said the Orpington based boss.

“Look at the game today, percentage wise, what was wrong? There was not a lot wrong It’s just them poxy goals! Just them goals!

“We have to eradicate them, they’ve got to go. We just can’t have it! It’s just costing us games. We can’t let four goals in at home. You cannot do it!

“We’ve got a week, we haven’t got a game during midweek. It would be nice to have a game actually, get a bit of anger out on that one but Maidstone had a good run, and full praise to them, they kept going.”

A dejected Trott felt the Margate support in the 789 crowd at Hartsdown Park - the best turnout for five home games - was poor.

“Yes, we’ll quiet. Some parts I thought Maidstone were at home but that’s what they’re about,” said Trott.

“They’ve had hard times in the past, we’ve had hard time as well but yes, there was a lot of Maidstone fans here weren’t there?

“It just seemed an awful lot but fans or not, we should have won that game, but full credit to them, Maidstone, they kept going.

“We let them back in the game and we should have took it by the scruff of the neck.”

The warning signs were there, as Trott added: “When we went three all, I thought we’re just killing ourselves here. (I was) just trying to tell the boys’ to calm down, don’t panic, just don’t worry, just don’t panic at all.”

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