Goals from midfielder Sam Hasler and leading scorer Ade Yusuff either side of half-time secured what may well prove the win that secures Invicta a place in the end of season play offs.
On the pitch, the players seemed to have shrugged off the nerves they had shown in their last two games as they looked for the vital breakthrough in the first period.
There were several close things, but the deadlock wasn’t broken until seconds before the break while visitors Leiston only briefly troubled the home defence and keeper Tim Roberts throughout the whole 90 minutes.
Seconds after recalled striker Ian Draycott had forced keeper Marcus Garnham to tip the ball over the bar for yet another Folkestone corner, the home side maintained their pressure and the ball was played back to some 20 yards from goal and Hasler thumped home his ninth goal of the season with a characteristically fiercely struck effort that left the goalkeeper stranded as the ball went in off the post.
Leiston had arrived at the Fullicks still full of play-off ambitions of their own, but it was virtually game over when another good move from the home side saw keeper Garnham beaten for the second time as Ade Yusuff tucked away his 30th goal of this, his first season, with Invicta.
As had to be expected, Glen Driver’s side were not averse to the physical side of the game and collected a couple of yellow cards from referee Ryan Whittaker.
What meaningful raids the Suffolk outfit did manage came to very little, and the one time they had the ball in the net it was ruled out almost before it happened for offside.
Of course the home fans wanted more goals, but with majority of the other leading contenders struggling this was a thoroughly sound and professional performance that lifted Neil Cugley’s side back up to second in the table as both the other two teams in the top three were held by their opponents – second placed Dulwich surprisingly dropping points away at basement outfit Burgess Hill and leaders Billericay also denied victory at Enfield.
Manager Cugley had given his men a target of 80 points which they have achieved still with five games to play.
As long as they maintain this standard of football, this excellent Folkestone squad surely will make the end-of-season shoot out in the play-offs.
How high they could they finish? Who knows – how long is a piece of string, as our parents used to say.
Next stop it’s sixth placed Staines Town next Thursday – a free scoring side beaten by rank outsiders Leatherhead on a day when results could surely not have gone too much better for Invicta.
For the record, Folkestone have this season shaken off their jinx against the East Anglian clubs which was getting to be a real worry last time around.
Leiston have not beaten them in four games – apart from on penalties in an FA Trophy replay – and Lowestoft have been beaten twice.
Only Needham Market have proved a stumbling block this season – and it was a gutsy 2-2 draw up there in Suffolk which sparked a great Christmas holiday spell for Folkestone who have never seriously looked back since that time.
Invicta: Roberts; Vincent, Blanks, Dolan, Davies, Hasler (Ter Horst 70), Draycott, Aboagye, Taylor (Everitt 69), Yusuff (Newman 90), McCann
Subs not used: Madden, Shaw
Referee: Ryan Whittaker
Attendance: 465