Kentish Football 
25thapr04
Folkestone up against it for Kent Senior Cup Final showdown against
Margate
FOLKESTONE INVICTA manager Neil Cugley admitted he isn't
confident that his side can beat Nationwide Conference Margate in Wednesday's John
Ullman Kent Senior Cup Final at Cheriton Road, writes Stephen McCartney.
The Cheriton Road outfit are struggling to field a side due to injuries and
suspensions to key players but will play eight local players in the showpiece
final and go into the game on the back of a run of eight matches without tasting
success.
An injury time
winner from substitute Mark Simms condemned Folkestone Invicta to defeat as they
lost by the odd goal in seven in their last away match of the season at Banbury
United on Saturday afternoon.
The manager said: "I am not confident for the cup final as we are very
short of players. Scott Lindsey is suspended, Steve Lawrence and Drew
Watkins are both injured. It's a shame, but we go into the final with some
of the younger lads, which will be a nice experience for them."
Following Folkestone's 3-0 loss at Bashley in November, the team went on a
twenty-four game unbeaten run, which ironically ended with a 2-1 loss at home to
Bashley at the end of March.
Cugley
added: "It was a great run and at the end of the day, we achieved what we
aimed for in getting promotion and to get into one of the finals.
"We will give the final a go, we will enjoy it and out of the squad, eight
will be local lads and it will mean a lot to them."
However, Folkestone have reached this season's county cup final, winning their
three games away from home.
They defeated Maidstone United 3-0 in December's first round tie. The
Stones had dismissed Jim Ward, who has since returned to his former club
Ramsgate, after they exited the FA Vase to Bitton AFC days before the county cup
tie.
Folkestone were given a perfect start when former Cray Wanderers midfielder,
Drew Watkins, who was a transfer target for the Stones, hit a 25-yard free kick
into the left hand corner of Kevin Hudson's net.
The Kent League side gave as good as they got during the first half, but did not
take their chances, and the game was put firmly in Invicta's favour when Anthony
Hogg curled the ball in from the edge of the penalty area to make the score 2-0
after 41 minutes.
John Ayling made it 3-0 when he ran down the right hand side after receiving the
ball from Hogg and squeezed the ball past the goalkeeper.
Local pride was at stake in January's second round tie at Homelands as
Folkestone came away with the local bragging rights with a 2-1 victory over
Ashford Town.
It was from Richard Chandler's 31st minute cross from the right and Tim Hambley
found himself in yards of space inside the penalty area before taking his chance
well to open the scoring.
Hambley struck again with four minutes before the break, drilling the ball in at
the far post after Chandler's corner from the left fell to him.
Ashford
were thrown a lifeline after 77 minutes when the ball was threaded through to
Simon Elliott, and he hit a well-struck shot into the roof of the net.
However, it was the semi-final that produced Invicta's best performance in the
competition, when, after a good spell from the home side in the opening half and
hour, they beat Ryman League Division One South outfit Bromley 5-0 at Hayes
Lane.
Twenty-six year old centre half, Adam Flanaghan
opened the scoring after 37 minutes when he headed in Chandler’s deep corner
from the left from close to the goal line at the far post.
And
Flanaghan made it 2-0 three minutes later when he got the final touch after an
almighty scramble in the Bromley goalmouth when Paul Lamb’s corner was
initially headed on by Dryden and then took a deflection off a defender when a
Michael Everitt shot came back in.
The
night got better and better for Invicta as it soon became three goals in six
amazing minutes from set pieces as a Chandler free kick from 35 yards out, close
to the left touchline, incredibly flew over goalkeeper Danny Harwood, who made
one Folkestone appearance last March in a 4-1 home win over Hednesford Town,
and into the far corner of the net.
Watkins
did make the score 4-0 after 52
minutes on his return to his old stomping ground where he played for Bromley’s
groundsharers Cray Wanderers until his move to Invicta during the summer.
The best was yet to come for Invicta as Hogg completed the rout with the goal of
the game after 65 minutes. The goal
came at the end of a flowing Invicta move as Lamb played the ball in and
Chandler exchanged passes with Dryden before Hogg applied a sweet first time
finish on the turn.
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd