Margate player-manager Ben Greenhalgh - whose team have played 25 matches this season - delighted with the club’s start to season ahead of ‘away’ match with Three Bridges

Ben Greenhalgh is delighted with how Margate have come through a hectic start to their season.

Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to fellow promotion-chasing Isthmian South East side Burgess Hill was their 25th fixture in all competitions so far.

But under player-manager Greenhalgh, Margate find themselves well-placed in the play-off positions, having only lost one league match this term, while they progressed to the FA Cup third qualifying round.

Their weekend draw ended a five-match winning league run after victories at Deal and Broadbridge Heath earlier this month.

Greenhalgh said: “We have done well recently.

"We have had a lot of away games. It’s just a case of getting the points on the board.

"That’s 16 points from our last six league games, which is a really good return.

“We have got some big games coming up against the likes of Sittingbourne in a couple of weeks’ time and Ramsgate. But how teams do well in this league is more to do with how they do in the other games.

“We’ve played 25 games, which is just outrageous! It feels funny because we don’t have a league game on a Tuesday before the end of the season now.

“We have come through a big period really well. We have had an FA Cup run, we played a few games in the Kent Senior Cup in that period, and we’re doing well in the league.

"We’re positive and we haven’t got any serious injuries. Saturday was the first time we only had three [fit substitutes], one being a goalkeeper, who could come on.

"But the good thing is we don’t have any long-term injuries.”

Top scorer Ibrahim Olutade looked to have set Gate on the way with his 14th goal this season in the 71st minute but the Hillians levelled with two minutes left.

“It was probably the game we had expected,” Greenhalgh