A Margate trio

By Ian Townsend

Three return to Hartsdown Park, as Saunders begins putting his 2020-21 squad together


Margate boss Jay Saunders added to his backroom team yesterday by appointing Jamie Coyle as his Assistant- and last night he added to his first team too, as the club announced that Captain Ben Swift, left-back Jay Porter and striker Noel Leighton were all returning for the 2020-21 season.

Ben undoubtedly first got to know his boss when he was part of the Academy at Maidstone United, but he was soon off to a higher level, signing for Aston Villa. He arrived on the Kent coast in March 2017, and made twenty four appearances, finding the back of the opposition net on two occasions. That followed forty appearances and five goals in 2018-19.

Jay joined the club last summer from Enfield Town. He only had a few months at Donkey Lane, joining them from AFC Hornchurch (as they were then known), for whom he'd already made thirty nine appearances during 2018-19, following the half century he'd made the season before. He also spent a few seasons at Thamesmead Town.

Noel got thirteen goals in his forty appearances last season, including a couple as the Blues knocked Salisbury out of the FA Cup in Wiltshire. He joined the club in March 2019 after leaving Dagenham and Redbridge, and whilst with the Daggers he spent some time on loan at Woking. He came through the youth ranks at Millwall.

Read more here.

Where next?

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