Hill made it to the play-off final after goals from Martyn Box and Bobby Price secured a 2-0 win over Margate.

A magnificent crowd of 1,439 filled the Hill to watch Jay Lovett and Gary Mansell’s side take on Margate in the playoff semi-final. After they put out a heavily rotated and youthful side in Littlehampton on Saturday, the managers made 10 changes with only Ryan Worrall keeping his place in the starting lineup.

It was a fiery start to the game as the visitors pressed aggressively and got stuck in right from the go. They had a free kick in a dangerous area in just the third minute, but Ben Greenhalgh missed the target. Just minutes later, Hill had their first chance as Chris Whelpdale fired a pass into Kieran Rowe, who’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked.

The visitors’ intensity continued throughout the half and they had a couple of good chances to take the lead. Tushaun Walters fired a shot wide from the edge of the box before Tom Derry got on the end of a Greenhalgh cross, but he couldn’t direct his header towards goal.

But it was the Hillians who opened the scoring in the 34th minute through Martyn Box. Worrall had the ball on the edge of the area, and he laid it off to Box, who took a touch and smashed a shot towards goal which took a deflection and wrong footed the Gate goalkeeper.

Margate reacted well to going a goal behind and created some promising opportunities to equalise. They hit the bar twice in the 40th minute, before Greenhalgh’s ambitious free kick from around the halfway line almost caught Slav Huk out. Their best chance of the half came just before the break, when Ibrahim Olutade fired a shot from close range over the bar.

Neither team managed to create many clear-cut chances at the start of the second half. Hamish Morrison had a long-ranged effort deflected over and from the subsequent corner Worrall fired a volley over the bar. Derry had a half chance for Margate as he had a headed effort saved by Huk.

In the 63rd minute, Bobby Price doubled the lead for the Hillians. Whelpdale flicked a ball into Price who rounded the Margate keeper and slotted it home to send the crowd wild. The Hillians stayed defensively solid and limited Gate to a few half chances, which included a couple of long ranged efforts from Walters and another halfway line attempt from Greenhalgh.

Hill also had a few great chances to grab a third. In the 83rd minute, Stefan Vukoje floated a dangerous cross into Whelpdale, who’s header went just over. Shortly after, a Box corner was met by Cooper, who’s header found Ben Pope at the back post but his shot from close range was saved off the line by Gate keeper Tom Wray. Two minutes into injury time, Alex Brewer found himself in on goal down the left-hand side, but his shot went just over the top right corner he was aiming for.

Shortly before the final whistle, the Hillians were down to 10 men as the referee sent Pope off for an off-ball scuffle between him and Tyrone Sterling.

Just minutes later, the final whistle went and the Hillians secured their spot in the play-off final, which will be played on Friday May 2nd away at Sittingbourne after they beat Mertsham 4-2 in the other semi-final tonight.