Victory over Aylesbury United at the Fullicks Stadium on Saturday would take Folkestone Invicta within one win of reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Cup for only the second time in their 26 years as a senior club.
Neil Cugley’s newlook side are in excellent form with only one defeat in 12 games, which includes penalty shoot-out wins in both their Kent Reliance Senior Cup games against Hythe Town and Greenwich Borough.
And while their cup commitments – especially Tuesday’s eventual Velocity Trophy success at VCD Athletic, delayed for a week following a floodlight failure seven days earlier – have now given them games in hand over all the sides above them in the Bostik League Premier Division, midweek results see them still in a more than respectable eighth place in the table.
(It might be a – premature, and b – churlish, to point out that their more affluent Kent rivals Margate and Tonbridge Angels are both below them at time or write, albeit, admittedly not by very much!)
Consolidation of their place in the Premier Division following promotion as champions of Division One South two seasons ago remains the Number One priority for Neil Cugley’s men but fans love the now Emirates sponsored FA Cup and there’s very little that non-league supporters yearn more for than a decent run in the best (and probably biggest) club knockout competition in the world.
After beating ambitious Greenwich in the first qualifying round four weeks ago followed by fellow Bostik Premier outfit Tooting & Mitcham on September 16, Invicta were more than pleased to come out of the hat – okay, the computer – first, and at home, for the third time in a row against Aylesbury United who play in the Evo-Stik League’s South East Division, theoretically one level lower than themselves.
And there could be an omen in this season’s draw.
It was 12 years ago, in the 2005/6 season, that Invicta beat The Ducks 2-0 on their own ground at Buckingham Road with two goals from club all-time record goalscorer Jimmy Dryden to reach the First Round Proper of the FA Cup before going down 2-1 to then Football League side Chester City after (prolific goalscoring) centre back Adam Flanagan had given them a tenth minute lead at The Deva Stadium.
Folkestone’s characterful 3-2 victory over a talented Hendon side in the league last weekend attracted their biggest gate so far this season – 457 – and club officials would love to, at the very least better that for the Third Qualifying Round tie this weekend.
And manager Cugley believes that the supporters make all the difference if they get right behind the home side.
“We believe in paying our opponents respect, we’ve had them watched and think we know what their strong points are.
“But our lads are full of confidence, and deservedly so, with the way that they’re playing. We’ve had some good gates already this season – last weekend’s was excellent (457) and I’d like to think that the importance of this game might bring even more in.
“Our fans – and especially the Noize Boys – like making plenty of noise, and I just wonder how some of the Aylesbury lads might react to that.”
Managed by Glyn Creaser, a formidable centre back with the likes of Dagenham & Redbridge, Rushden & Diamonds, Barnet and Wycombe Wanderers during his playing days, Aylesbury United, now based in Chesham, 11 miles away from Aylesbury itself, are not having the best of seasons so far, crashing 4-0 away to Bedfordshire opponents Kempston Rovers on Tuesday night and slumping to 18th in their league, with all four goals coming in the second half.
The smart money – if there is such a thing – suggests that Invicta ought to win comfortably on Saturday, but as that man Greavesie always said, “Football is a funny old game.”