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                                                          Folkestone hit Ashford for six

Folkestone Invicta romped to victory as they hit Ashford Town for six to keep hold of the Sid Burvill Cup for a fifth successive summer amidst glorious sunshine at the Westbourne Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Strikers Simon Glover and James Dryden both scored twice as Invicta ran away with the game during the second half to record their first pre-season win of the summer.

New signing Glover received the man of the match award from the Burvill family after the match as his pace had caused problems for his former colleagues from the start.

Invicta had the first chance of the game when Dean Standen brought a save out of John Whitehouse in the fifth minute, but at the other end a Barry Gardner shot struck the Invicta crossbar from the edge of the box after seven minutes.

The home side opened the scoring on the quarter of an hour mark when Standen and Dryden kept the ball on the deck and put GLOVER through for the blond striker to slot the ball into the back of the net.

But Ashford replied with the goal of the game after 19 minutes when one-time Invicta youngster GARDNER sent a sensational strike over goalkeeper Tony Kessell and into the far corner of the net from 35 yards out on the right flank.

Invicta restored their lead after 28 minutes when Mark Munday played the ball across from the right for GLOVER to strike again.

Glover was denied a first half hat-trick when he cut in from the right on the half hour mark but couldn’t get enough power on his shot.

Anthony Hogg brought another save out of Whitehouse when Micheal Everitt played the ball across from the right after 36 minutes.

At the other end, Kessell partially saved from Jonathan Thorogood when Gardner played him through after 40 minutes and captain Scott Lindsey was on hand to hook the ball to safety from close to the line.

Tom Evans called Kessell into action again with a shot from the left hand side in the 47^th minute.

But Ashford’s resistance was to collapse after defender Aaron O’LEARY chested the ball past goalkeeper Whitehouse and into his own net after 52 minutes.

It was 4-1 after 63 minutes when MUNDAY was on hand to score at the far post when substitute goalkeeper Will Toal missed a Paul Lamb cross from the right.

Gardner shot at Kessell as Ashford tried to find a way back into the game in the 65^th minute.

But it was now all Invicta and a superb 20 yard strike from Lindsey was touched over for a corner by Toal after 67 minutes.

Dryden volleyed at Toal following a Hogg ball in form the left after 70 minutes and Toal saved a fierce Dryden shot in the 75^th minute when Martin Chandler and Hogg combined to put him through.

Invicta finished with a flourish as DRYDEN neatly controlled a ball from substitute Mark Rook after 81 minutes and rolled the ball into the net.

And DRYDEN struck again after 84 minutes when he drilled the ball into the net when Lee Blackman played the ball to him in a move started by Rook.

Youngster Rook had been spotted by Invicta manager when helping Bearsted’s youths to beat their Invicta counterparts in their John Ullman Cup final at Tonbridge back in May.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell (Morrin 78 mins), Everitt (Walker 45 mins), Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Lindsey, Standen (Chandler 55 mins), Munday, Dryden, Glover (Blackman 77 mins), Hogg (Rook 77 mins).

ASHFORD TOWN: Whitehouse (Toal 55 mins), Holmes, O’Leary, Anderson, Adlington, Jonathan Thorogood, Gardner, McRobert (Beeney 45 mins), Joby Thorogood, Azzopardi (Percival), Evans.  Unused sub: Reynolds.

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