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But Neil Cugley’s side remain outside the bottom four relegation zone as other results went their way at the weekend.

Missing suspended defenders Paul Lamb, Adam Flanagan, James Everitt and Will Dunlop, this was a game where any positive result Invicta recorded would have been looked upon as a  bonus.

But in what has become an all too familiar pattern, Invicta made a purposeful start before falling behind and finishing the game a well beaten side.

The recently re-signed Andrew Burke came back into the Invicta side at left back, with John Walker at right back and captain Scott Lindsey joining a three-man central defensive partnership with John Guest and the fit again Steve Norman.

And Invicta were the better side for the opening ten minutes as James Dryden headed over when the visitors forced the game’s first corner in the second minute and Stewart Holmes blocked a Dryden shot for another corner when the Invicta striker combined well with Walker in the seventh minute.

But it was Worthing who opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Holmes’ cross from the right was volleyed in by Lee CHARLES at the far post after Walker’s lack of inches proved costly when he could only head his attempted clearance into the Worthing man’s path.

Invicta have found scoring goals a problem of late and never regained the initiative.

A Charles shot was blocked by Guest in the 19^th minute when striker Sam Francis laid the ball back after getting in behind Guest before being held up by Lindsey.

It was 2-0 after 26 minutes when a Charles corner from the right was met by a spectacular strike from Liam COLLINS.

Invicta were close in the 45^th minute when a Mark Munday shot from the edge of the penalty area was touched over for a corner by goalkeeper Mark Oremrod after Micheal Everitt laid the ball back.

Worthing’s Francis drilled a low shot across goal from the right hand side after 52 minutes which goalkeeper Tony Kessell got a hand to and Walker cleared.

But any hopes Invicta ha of salvaging the situation effectively evaporated when Worthing were awarded a penalty in the 56^th minute.

Guest was the Invicta player penalised when his initial mistake let Francis in, but the centre half recovered to challenge the Worthing striker inside the box, only for the referee to point to the penalty spot and show Guest a yellow card.

Mark WHITEMAN duly stepped up to send Kessell the wrong way and score on his Worthing debut.

At the other end, Paul Sykes shot wide across goal after creating a chance for himself in the 60^th minute.

But Worthing were close again after 65 minutes when substitute Ronnie Green blasted over as Collins skipped past the Invicta defence down the right hand side and played the ball across.

Invicta were denied a consolation goal when Ormerod came out to save from Simon Glover when Everitt played the ball through the middle in the 75^th minute.

The visitors gave first senior appearances to teenage substitutes Adam Todd, Rob Knott and recent signing Dan Tanner.

But the Folkestone side finished the game with ten men as Everitt limped off deep into injury time.

WORTHING: Ormerod, Holmes, Dicker, Cable, Alexander, Charles, Collins, Rogers (Pulling 76 mins), Francis (Green 62 mins), Whiteman (Geddes 85 mins), Grice.  Unused sub: Lutwyche.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Walker, Burke (Todd 75 mins), Norman, Guest, Lindsey (Tanner 85 mins), M. Everitt, Munday, Dryden, Sykes (Knott 78 mins), Glover.  Unused sub: Morrin.

 Attendance: 422.