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| May 2001 | 2000-2001 Archive Latest News |
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| 5-5-01 | Brewers win battle, lose war | Margate (h) |
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| Brewers win battle, lose war | ||||
| It
wasn't the title showdown we all wanted to see for the final match, but the
Brewers at least ended the 2000-2001 season on a positive note, after completing
a league double over champions Margate in the long-awaited Eton Park clash
between the two sides who've jousted for the one promotion spot into the
Conference for the best part of the campaign.
A neutral watching would have found it hard to explain how it was Margate, rather than the Brewers who had topped the league. |
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| Nigel Clough's
side comfortably dealt with an ordinary looking 'Gate side perhaps suffering
from post-title celebration fatigue after clinching the championship with
a goalles draw against Newport County in midweek.
The Brewers made one change from the side which drew 2-2 at Crawley on Tuesday, with player-manager Clough dropping out to make way for Aaron Webster. Loan signing from Oldham Athletic Ryan Sugden lined up for what is likely to be his last appearance in the yellow shirt, alongside Dale Anderson and Christian Moore. A lively opening period saw chances at either end, Darren Stride heading Webster's free-kick narrowly wide on 10 minutes, with Premier Division leading scorer Phil Collins flashing a header of his own wide of Matt Duke's left-hand post soon after. Sugden cut in from the left on 20 minutes before swinging in a dangerous cross towards Aaron Webster, but the young midfielder could only head straight at 'Gate 'keeper Lee Turner. Margate had a golden opportunity to go in front ten minutes before half time. Leon Braithwaite's run into the box was impeded by Brewers' skipper Stride, and the referee pointed to the spot. But with the surprisingly small Margate contingent at the Derby Road End poised to celebrate, Phil Collins saw his shot brilliantly saved by Duke, and Terry Henshaw scrambled the ball away as Collins tried to convert the rebound. |
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Margate
showed very little attacking threat after this, and Albion put themselves
in front on the stroke of half time. Darren Stride's ball to the far
post caused problems in the six-yard box, and after 'Gate defender Graham
Porter failed to react quickly enough to the loose ball, Christian Moore
capitalized, forcing the ball home from close range.
Three minutes after the restart, Moore almost got the goal which would have seen him draw level with Darren Stride as top scorer for the season, spinning round to fire in a left foot shot from 25 yards which Turner pushed round the post |
| Another defensive
error from the visitors saw the Brewers double their lead on the hour
mark.
The ever watchful Ryan Sugden raced onto Bill Edwards' kamikaze backpass, and kept his cool after being forced wide by Turner, to find the net from the narrowest of angles, for his seventh goal for the Brewers in as many games, a phenomenal strike record by anyone's standards. A mazy run from Leon Braithwaite was the closest Margate came to pulling one back, the 'Gate striker pulling his shot wide of Duke's right hand post, but the majority of chances continued to fall to the Brewers. Substitute Phil Starbuck saw his effort from outside the box deflected round for a corner on 70 minutes, Sugden appeared to be pulled down in the box but the referee waved play on, and Darren Stride's swivel shot a minute from time sailed just wide of the Margate goal. And that's how the 2000-2001 season finished, Albion winning the battle but losing the war. Both side's received ovations from their respective fans at the end of what has been a memorable season, but one in which the Brewers for the second season running have to settle for runners-up spot. A club record points haul of 88 points, attendances up again and averaging over 1,200, some memorable cup runs and more ground improvements: all these things augur well for the future, but the Brewers, who finish the season just three points behind the eventual champions, can be forgiven for pondering what might have been. If they hadn't drawn so many games, if they hadn't lost to Folkestone Invicta, if Nigel Clough hadn't got injured, if Ryan Sugden had arrived a couple of weeks earlier. As it is, the final analysis for the season must be... so near, and yet so far. |
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