On Tuesday night, Herne Bay welcomed Margate in a much-anticipated derby game at the Crest Stadium, in front of 854 people, with strong support throughout the night for both teams.

The first half was full of action and energy, and within the first thirty seconds, Margate saw an early effort blaze over the bar.

A lot of chances went the way of Margate, however they were unable to find the back of the next due to a mix of poor shots and some excellent defensive work by The Bay’s backline.

A counterattack led by Robe in the 13th minute ended in a shot hitting the post.

But ten minutes later, The Bay were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area.

Rhys Wyborn stepped up and delivered a good ball into the area which was hit out for a corner to Herne Bay.

From the resulting corner, Romel Aarons Royal leaped highest to head the ball into the net and give Herne Bay the lead in the 24th minute.

Herne Bay’s keeper, Tom Wray, produced an athletic save in the 44th minute to prevent Margate from equalising just before the break.

Herne Bay led 1-0 at halftime.

The second half gave supporters of both teams a great viewing, with similar energy and battles across the pitch.

In the 64th minute, Kokoshi showed great skill in the box and delivered a low ball to Eruotor who was waiting in the middle but ultimately his effort was wide of the mark.

Only a few minutes later, Margate missed a great chance to equalise after a ball over the top of Herne Bay’s defence found their forward men, but luckily for The Bay, their effort fizzed just over the bar.

Despite Margate increasing the pressure throughout the second half, they couldn’t capitalise on it, with Herne Bay showing impressive defensive work and some good goalkeeping to keep the lead intact.

Henry Sinai then came onto the pitch in the 82nd minute, and had a good performance off the bench, especially when he assisted Herne Bay’s second goal.

In the dying embers of the game in the 92nd minute, after bringing down Wray’s initial pass, he ran from the halfway line, beat two Margate players and passed a brilliant through ball to Robe who blasted it past their keeper to secure the win.

The celebrations around the ground were deafening, with the team celebrating in front of the home fans.

Man of the Match was a joint award, with Ben Gorham and Rhys Wyborn both being given the title.

The ref blew for full time, confirming Herne Bay won 2-0 over local rivals Margate, leapfrogging them in the table in the process.

The Bay sit in 7th in the league, with 12 points and four wins from five.