Margate player-boss Ben Greenhalgh on a ‘brilliant’ opening pre-season friendly at home to Whitstable Town

Player-boss Ben Greenhalgh has described Margate’s opening pre-season friendly as a “brilliant” first game to warm up for the new campaign.

Gate will welcome Southern Counties East Premier Division side Whitstable to Hartsdown Park on Saturday (1pm).

While the Oystermen - now managed by ex-Margate assistant manager Jamie Coyle - ply their trade in a division below Gate, Greenhalgh expects their weekend opponents to be challenging for promotion.

“It’s a brilliant first game,” said Greenhalgh, whose team will then host Dover on Tuesday night. “They will be at the top-end of their division.

“It will be good to see people like Coyley and some others. I don’t think he will be playing this year - but I’ll do 45 minutes on the pitch and 45 minutes on the side.

“Results will be great but it’s always about giving opportunities, especially to under-23s, at this stage of the season so that fans get to see them and we get to see them.

“We have managed to get in the right players and, with all the ones we wanted, we actually have quite a good balance.”

With Margate’s first-team squad fairly settled, talented youngsters Vinnie Bowman and Gabriel Duo will be a part of their Isthmian South East bid.

Greenhalgh said: “I’ve had this conversation with Vinnie that, last year, he almost developed too quickly!

“As a 16-year-old, not many break into the first team - especially at Isthmian Premier level.

“The next step for Vinnie - after such a good year last year - is more about consistency.

“With Gabs, he’s one I had at the Dartford Academy.

“We pushed him into the under-23s at Margate. He played some games last pre-season but was not quite ready for first-team football.

“He then went into the under-23s, was one of their better players, as