24thaug05

Keep your tickets for re-match

Folkestone Invicta’s opening home Ryman Premier League game of the season was dramatically abandoned after 41 minutes on Monday night due to floodlight failure at a very wet Buzzlines Stadium, writes Richard Murrill.

The game had managed to beat the torrential rain but the lights initially went out in the 35^th minute with the game still goalless.

Play was resumed after a 13 minute delay but when the lights went out again just seven minutes later referee Grant Smith from Polegate decided that it was time to call it a night.

Invicta’s first midweek home match since switching from Tuesday to Monday nights will thus go down in the record books for more than one reason.

Supporters are asked to keep their ticket receipts to gain admission into the re-arranged game on a date to be confirmed.

Last season’s runners up Billericay Town had almost got off to a flying start when Neil Cousins’ snapshot from the edge of the penalty area had to be pushed over the crossbar by goalkeeper Tony Kessell for the game’s first corner after just 30 seconds.

In the early exchanges, a through ball from Stuart Myall put James Dryden through but an assistant referee’s flag meant that the striker’s good finish into the net was to count for nothing.

Billericay were close again after 18 minutes when a big clearance from goalkeeper Mel Capleton eluded Invicta defender Paul Lamb and Cousins did very well to send in a well-struck cross from the right hand side for striking partner Danny Hockton. Goalkeeper Kessell came out to save but the danger was still there as the ball ricocheted of Hockton again from close range but stayed out.

There were bookings for Invicta’s Paul Jones (challenge on goalkeeper Capleton) and for Billericay’s Leon Hunter (foul on Kevin Watson) and Pat Sappleton (foul on Jones).

Unfortunately for those three players those yellow cards are likely to be all that still counts from this unfinished match.

Folkestone Invicta: Kessell, Watson, Lamb, Flanagan, Norman, Lindsey, M. Everitt, Glover, Dryden, Jones, Myall.  Unused subs: Neilson, Bower, J. Everitt, Sly, Mann. 

Billericay Town: Capleton, Game, Kerrigan, McSweeney, Sappleton, Dormer, Thomas, Hunter, Cousins, Hockton, Lay.  Unused subs: Wareham, Perfect, Smith, Henty, Brightley.  

Attendance: 285.