folkvhist030204

Honours even
Folkestone Invicta 1-1 Histon
Tuesday 3 February 2004
by Richard Murrill

Honours were even on Tuesday night as two of the best sides in the Dr Martens League Eastern Division went head to head in an entertaining match at the Westbourne Stadium.

Visitors Histon will have left pleased to have moved up to third place in the table and to have maintained their unbeaten away record in the league so far this season, while Invicta stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 14 matches.

Invicta though have become the Eastern Division’s draw specialists as this was their ninth draw of the season and their fifth in their last six league matches.

Neil Cugley’s side had opened the scoring through top goalscorer Allan Tait in the 21^st minute, but Histon were level thanks to a freak 42^nd minute equaliser from Ian Cambridge.

The home side welcomed Drew Watkins back after his hamstring injury and brought recent signing Peter Overton in for his full home debut as both Tim Hambley (knee) and Mark Munday (calf) were missing through injury. Captain Scott Lindsey moved up into midfield as the home side adopted a 4-4-2 formation.

But it was Histon who made the early running as Adrian Cambridge created space for himself with a good run after 11 minutes, but goalkeeper Tony Kessell saved his subsequent shot.

Cambridge then chipped over the crossbar from the edge of the box after 14 minutes.

But it was Invicta who struck first in a move involving Overton and James Dryden when TAIT took the ball on and thumped it into the roof of the net for his first goal since New Year’s Day after his recent hamstring injury.

Adrian Cambridge was at the centre of everything for Histon and his 26^th minute free kick flew just wide across the Invicta goal from the left hand edge of the penalty area.

Histon lost Neil Andrews to concussion after 27 minutes, but were close a minute later when Matthew Haniver volleyed over with a chance on the edge of the box when substitute Chris Tovey’s cross from the left came back out to him.

At the other end, Martin Chandler stabbed the ball just wide of the post after 34 minutes following a move involving Overton and Dryden.

Histon were level just before half time when the mercurial Ian CAMBRIDGE’s seemingly innocuous left wing cross was carried by the wind and somehow eluded Kessell as the ball bounced in front of the goalkeeper as a Histon forward’s run across goal blurred his vision.

Invicta stepped up a gear after the interval and Dryden shot high and wide when Overton put him through after 53 minutes following great lay from Chandler in a move started by Watkins and Lindsey.

Chandler then hit the outside of the post after 56 minutes when Tait played a ball in from the left which just eluded Dryden in the middle.

Histon goalkeeper Paul Barber made a double save following a free kick on the hour, the second to keep out a close range rebound from Dryden.

Kessell saved Neil Kennedy’s header after 64 minutes following Haniver’s cross from the right and a minute later the roles were reversed when Kennedy whipped in a dangerous cross from the left which just eluded Haniver.

An Anthony Hogg shot flashed just wide of the Histon post following a Tait ball after 76 minutes.

Tait went close to snatching it for Invicta during injury time when he first shot just over from the left hand side and then shot at Barber after Hogg had won the ball.

There were bookings for Invicta’s Paul Lamb, Adam Flanagan, Tait and Lindsey and for Histon’s Roscoe Hipperson and Richard Skelly.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Watkins (Everitt 77 mins), Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Lindsey, Chandler (Ayling 77 mins), Overton, Dryden, Tait, Hogg.  Unused subs: Dyson, Blackman, Egan.

HISTON: Barber, Farrington, Skelly, Hipperson, Vowden, A. Cambridge, Haniver (Munns 87 mins), Andrews (Tovey 27 mins), Kennedy, I. Cambridge, Barker.  Unused subs: Goddard, Coburn, Rowe.

Attendance: 363.

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