For the second time in under seventy-two hours, Folkestone Invicta crushed Wingate & Finchley by a 4-1 score-line to register their first League points of the fledgling season.
Whereas the game was in the Emirates FA Cup and allowed Invicta to set up an intriguing tie with Chatham Town on October 2nd, Saturday’s thumping win opened Neil Cugley’s sides account in the new “Pitching In” Isthmian Premier Division campaign at a windswept and bitterly cold “Build Kent Stadium”.
The victory was the opening one in what is incredibly the manager’s 24th season at the club. And given that Folkestone have been agonisingly close to promotion to the National League a number of times in recent years, few would bet against Cugley’s side going close again.
With the background of the manager’s loyalty to the Club comes Cugley’s commitment to his players, which was highlighted by the fact that of the eleven starters that Cugley named in an unchanged side, NINE of them have played more than one hundred games for the club, and two – Micheal Everitt and Josh Vincent – chalking up over 1,000 games between them. Indeed, Everitt recently played his 750th game in Folkestone’s colours and it’s that togetherness that has made Cugley’s teams legendary!
On the day that winter well and truly arrived at Cheriton Road – a cold wind blowing straight down the pitch accompanied at times with driving rain – despite playing into the teeth of the gale, the home side created the better early chances.
Wingate keeper Myles Roberts was fortunate when he fumbled Scott Heard’s cross onto David Smith’s back and had the ricochet fall into his arms, before the Folkestone goal survived its own early scares from corners that swung in on the wind – chances that the home side were to mirror and take themselves later in the game.
The visitors’ best opportunities with the wind at their backs both fell to Goldy Capela, but he was first denied by Jordan Wright, whilst a collective block on the striker as he shot ricocheted past Tim Roberts as it rolled narrowly wide. The cagey game developed as the half wore on – Heard was denied by the Wingate keeper’s legs whilst Roberts made a tremendous low save to deny Kavan Cotter as half time approached.
Sam Hasler drilled in a skidder at the start of the second half forcing the keeper into a sliding save, before from a 56th minute Heard corner, Roberts was forced to back pedal and palm the ball away. From the resulting Heard corner, Smith challenged Ahmet Rifat for the ball, and the ball almost begrudgingly crept over the line to give Folkestone the lead – a lead that was doubled four minutes later; Ian Draycott capped off a great run by sliding the ball home as the keeper advanced.
Smith was now proving a real handful for the visitor’s defence and with every ball that was played in his direction, there was an air that the lead was going to be extended still further. The tall striker – a new recruit to the Cugley dynasty – set up Heard brilliantly only for the midfielder to be denied by some last ditch defending before Smith raced clear only to fire across the face of goal.
Managers often make what’s called an inspired change and Cugley added another to his long list as substitute Aaron Simpson was on had to prod home the third (from another Heard corner) five minutes after coming on for his Folkestone debut. It was wave after wave of Amber and Black attacks – Draycott was denied by the keeper sliding out of his box before the same player raced through only to clip a post as his shot beat the Wingate keeper.
The visitors did then threaten briefly when a cross from substitute Suleiman Bakalandwa was adjudged to have been handled and the sub himself drilled the ball into the top corner from the spot.
There was still time for Folkestone to repeat the score of their midweek Cup win as another substitute Adem Ramadan set the fourth up for Heard to cap a terrific personal performance by netting the fourth.
A marker well and truly laid down by Folkestone ahead of a potentially massive gave on Tuesday against Tony Russell’s Cray Wanderers who themselves haven’t been beaten in competitive football in the calendar year…
FOLKESTONE INVICTA – Tim Roberts, Vincent, Wright, O’Mara, Davies, Everitt (Ramadan), Heard, Dolan, Draycott (Tyler Sterling), Smith, Hasler (Simpson)
Subs – Woodcock, Newsome
WINGATE & FINCHLEY – Myles Roberts, Ifil, Bihoutine, Edwards (Bakalandwa), Eales, Rifat (Kennedy), J’Ardell Sterling, Tejan-Sie, Capela (Healey), Cotter, Vilhete
Subs – Sayoud, Doyle
REFEREE – Mr Ions