Margate manager Mark Stimson ends near 10-month wait for competitive win as Gate earn 3-2 Isthmian Premier home victory over Canvey Island

Margate manager Mark Stimson has spoken of the psychological challenges he’s faced after he ended a near 10-month wait for a competitive win.

Gate boosted their Isthmian Premier survival hopes as playmaker Ben Greenhalgh bagged a first-half hat-trick in their sorely-needed 3-2 home victory over Canvey Island last weekend.

It was a first success for Stimson since he took charge of the club in early December.

Having also endured a forgettable stint with Isthmian North Grays earlier this season, Stimson previously hadn’t enjoyed a competitive win inside 90 minutes since beating Kingstonian 2-1 while in charge of Hornchurch on Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Stimson said: “For me, it’s so new.

“Over 20 years and more than 1,000 games, I think the longest run I’ve had of losses was probably two or three games before.

“I kept coming up with the same answers. When we keep changing the team so often, it’s hard to get that consistency.

Gate hat-trick hero makes team-of-the-week

“But I knew, when I came into the club, it needed to be changed. That took longer than I expected.

“When I looked at some of the players, I thought to myself ‘Does this matter as much to them as it does to me and the board?’. But it’s just one win.

“We still have to earn the right and maybe do stuff that’s not in the players’ natural game. You saw that from Ben where two of his goals came from flick-ons by Steve [Cawley].

“He has got good pace but a good footballing brain, as well. He did very well for his third goal, in particular.

“With his class and quality, fingers crossed, he will score a few more.”

Stimson revealed he had questioned his own managerial ability during the tough run but now feels Gate’s squad is as strong as it has been since he joined.

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