Hartsdown Park

It is a ground that looks like it is waiting for something else to happen.

Margate sits on the coast, and the wind often cuts straight through the open end of the stadium. Spectators lean over the metal railing to watch the game, bundled up in jackets against the sea breeze. The pitch surface is artificial, a uniform green that does not change colour with the weather. It holds up well under the floodlights, which were installed for a friendly against West Ham United decades ago. The light falls evenly across the field, but the corners are always the coldest part of the ground.

The stands are not large. There are roughly four hundred seats in total, scattered among the standing areas. It is enough for the local supporters, who know each other's faces. The club has occupied the ground since the late 1920s, having moved in when the local council bought the land. There was a brief time when the team played elsewhere, but they returned to these blue buildings. They have stayed here through the promotion and the relegation, even when the future looked uncertain.

A man stands near the touchline holding a clipboard, watching the training session. The players run across the synthetic grass, their boots making a distinct sound on the surface. In the background, the trees line the edge of the property, separating the pitch from the rest of the town. The atmosphere is quiet, focused on the work at hand. It is not a grand cathedral of football, but it is a place where the game is played without distraction. The rivalry with Canterbury City ended when they moved to a different ground, leaving the home side with their own patch of turf and their own history.