It’s no fluke we are where we are because we’ve played really well for the majority of the games, says play-off chasing Folkestone Invicta assistant Roland Edge

FOLKESTONE INVICTA assistant manager Roland Edge says clinching a play-off place at the end of the season will be the cherry on the cake.

Neil Cugley’s men missed out on the chance of leaping up a couple of places to second in the Bostik Premier Division after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to second-from-bottom side Harlow Town yesterday.


Folkestone Invicta
assistant manager
Roland Edge says his
club are good enough
to finish in the Bostik
Premier Division
play-offs.
Photo: Folkestone Invicta FC


Visiting keeper David Hughes kept Folkestone at bay with a string of saves before Alex Read curled in a stunning strike on the stroke of half-time to give the Hawks a shock lead.

But Ian Draycott rescued Folkestone Invicta by tapping in Kieron McCann’s cross from the left to score his fifteenth goal of the campaign.

Billericay Town are wobbling as the big-spending leaders went down to a shock 2-1 defeat at third-from-bottom side Worthing in the other game being played in the division owing to the big freeze.

The self-confessed “world’s greatest” suffered their fourth defeat on the spin but they still lead the way with 67 points from 29 games.

Margate are in second-place on 66 points from 35 games, followed by Dulwich Hamlet (65 points from 33 games), Folkestone Invicta (64 points from 35 games) and Hendon are in fifth-place with 60 points from 33 games.

Folkestone Invicta welcome fourteenth-placed Kingstonian to Cheriton Road on Tuesday night and have 11 games left to play to cement their play-off place.

“It’s all to play for, it’s all to play for,” said Edge.

“We need to approach every game like it’s a FA Cup Final. If we approach every game with that energy, we’ve got the ability to show and we’ll maintain our place in the play-offs.

“If we don’t, it will be a horrible end to the season but I think we’ve got a good team that should be in the play-offs.”

Billericay Town, Dulwich Hamlet and Margate should be in the top three but Tonbridge Angels should be doing much better than eleventh place on 50 points.

When asked about Folkestone Invicta winning promotion into the Vanarama National League South for the first time, Edge replied: “Well, I don’t know, you’d have to speak to the chairman (Paul Morgan) about going in the National League South!  I don’t know how he will see it!

“But listen, we’ve got a goal.  We are where we are through hard work, nothing but that.  The boys in that dressing room are deflated (after being held to a draw by Harlow).  They’ve worked tirelessly all year collectively in the squad.

“It’s no fluke we are where we are because we’ve played really well for the majority of the games. We just need to maintain that.  We need to maintain a focus, a bit more belief that we can do it and hopefully we will achieve it.

“We’ve had a little bit of a laugh and a joke about the chairman going in the League above. If people are just happy with what we’re doing, it will just be a cherry on the top to make sure we can secure the points and see how they go.”

Visit Folkestone Invicta’s website: www.folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk

Folkestone Invicta  v  Kingstonian
Bostik Premier Division
Tuesday 6 March 2018
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Cheriton Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 5JU