Folkestone Invicta 0-3 Carshalton Athletic - We miss our key men, admits Cugley - EXCLUSIVE

FOLKESTONE INVICTA 0-3 CARSHALTON ATHLETIC
Ryman Premier League
Monday 21^st January 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from Buzzlines Stadium

FOLKESTONE INVICTA manager Neil Cugley criticised his players after they went back to their bad old ways against Carshalton Athletic tonight.

Despite becoming the only Kent side to defeat AFC Wimbledon this season, courtesy of their 3-2 home win just two days ago, Invicta crashed back down to earth with a poor performance on a cold and blustery night.

Carshalton Athletic, who were defeated 4-2 at Margate at the weekend, fully deserved their victory against a home side that were missing influential key personnel.

Defender Samuel Kola Okikiolu (illness), midfielder Mark Saunders (knee/hamstring) and Roland Edge (knee) were out and goalkeeper Charlie Mitten was forced to be withdrawn after just twenty minutes due to his problematic thigh strain.

But the Kent side should have scored first, inside the opening five minutes, but defender Tom Bryant drove his shot past the right upright following James Everitt’s first corner of the game.

And at the other end Barry Stevens’ right-footed drive flashed just past the far-post following his burst down the middle.

Mitten’s only contribution was to dive and turn Phil Ruggles’ shot, which was heading towards the bottom corner, around the post - pulling his thigh in the process as he was replaced by teenager Luke Stonebridge soon after.

And within four minutes of coming on, Stonebridge was picking the ball out of his net as Tony Quinton opened the scoring after 23 minutes and 18 seconds on the clock.

An angled shot from Robins’ skipper David Graves bounced off the crossbar and dropped to Quinton who smashed the ball into an empty net.

But Folkestone Invicta squandered their best chance of the half just four minutes later.

James Everitt, who like his brother Micheal, came in for Okikiolu and Saunders, whipped in a free-kick but Tom Bryant headed straight at goalkeeper Aaron Howe.

After cutting inside, Carshalton’s Rob Ursell unleashed a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which Stonebridge spilt, but pounced on the loose ball to avert the danger.

Liam Friend’s cross from the left presented Leigh Bremner with a chance, but he glanced his towering header past the far-post and couldn’t add to his tally of just four goals this season.

Stonebridge pulled off a fine save to tip over Graves’ volley following the visitors’ fifth corner of the game early in the second half.

Folkestone were guilty of giving the ball away on too many occasions during this home shocker and Carshalton Athletic striker Phil Ruggles netted his 15^th goal of the season after 66 minutes when he stabbed the ball past Stonebridge to find the bottom right-hand corner.

And six minutes later Carshalton ended the game as a contest as Stevens flicked the ball with the outside of his right boot past the advancing Stonebridge as the ball rolled into the bottom right-hand corner of an empty net.

The well-beaten Kent side, to their credit, created some late chances, but by then it was too little too late as their run of winning their last four home games came to a sorry end.

Micheal Everitt’s thirty-yard shot sailed just over the crossbar from a central position and substitute Damian Abel, who earlier had a goal chalked off for offside, flashed a right-footed shot past the foot of the post.

James Corbett glanced a header past the far post and with the last kick of the game Abel shot straight at the grateful Howe from eight-yards.

Cugley, speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, feels Mitten’s time at Cheriton Road is coming to an end.

“It’s something we’ve got to look at,” he said. “He’s not going to be available as much as we want.

“We might have to look at that department or give Lukey a little run.”

Despite conceding three goals, Cugley was satisfied with Stonebridge’s performance, adding: “To be fair young Luke’s been doing well. He made one mistake maybe for one of the goals but he made a couple of good saves.”

But Cugley suggested that Okikiolu, Saunders - and maybe even Edge - could return for their trip to Ashford Town (Middlesex) at the weekend.

“Saunders, he obviously struggles to play two games (in such a short space of time).” said Cugley.

“He’s got a bad hamstring and that, a bad knee and bad everything, bless him.

“We just missed him so much. You’ve got Edgy out as well, suddenly you’ve got four experienced players (missing) and we go back to how we were five or six weeks ago again, where once they’re out of the side we’re very, very poor.

“You just have to look at results all year long, when we’ve got a team out we do alright. As soon as we don’t, we have too many youngsters out there, who huff and puff and don’t really get anywhere.”

And those youngsters made plenty of mistakes tonight.

“Our passing was poor, that’s the trouble,” he fumed. “You can’t, I’ve just said to the players in there, you can’t keep giving the ball away, not at this level.

“We gave the ball away, it must be 50% of our passes went astray - it’s not acceptable!

“Some lads come in and you give them a chance and they don’t take it.

“That was the situation when we went on, what was it eleven games, when we couldn’t win.

“I gave everybody a chance and again they’ve not taken it.

“It’s when you put them out en-block, it’s not individually. Like today, there’s so many teenagers out there and younger players and it did show really.”

So how can this side defeat big-spending AFC Wimbledon and the next time they play at home lose to Carshalton Athletic - a side that’s now leapfrogged over them in the Ryman Premier League table following this win tonight.

“I’d rather beaten Carshalton and lost to Wimbledon,” admitted Cugley. “I said to the players, great beating Wimbedon, yes, but then if you don’t win these sort of games then it’s a disappointment.

“And to play so poorly we’ve just gone back to where we were five or six weeks ago but luckily we know the players’ will come back for Saturday.”

Having flirted with relegation during that barren spell, Cugley, whose side are now 15^th in the table, knows what his side must do during their last 17 league games.

“You’ve got to get a certain number of points to make sure everyone’s happy,” he said.

“Then you can build on from that to know you’re staying in the league.”

With 31 points in the bag, thanks to 9 wins and four draws, Cugley explained his points target to ensure the club retain it’s current status.

“I think about 50,” he said.

Folkestone Invicta: Charlie Mitten (Luke Stonebridge 20), Kevin Watson, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Tom Bryant, James Everitt, Charlie Glyde, Micheal Everitt, Leigh Bremner, Jimmy Corbett, Marvin Hamilton-Omole (Damian Abel 58).
Subs: Liam Dickson, Josh Burchell, Mark Saunders.

Booked: James Everitt 13, Frankie Chappell 45, Marvin Hamilton-Omole 52

Carshalton Athletic: Aaron Howe, Simon Cooper, Ryan Watts, David Graves, Liam Harwood, Dean Carpenter, Barry Stevens, Tony Quinton, Phil Ruggles (Ben Wright 73), Rob Ursell, Michael Johnson (Anthony Bridgeman 86).
Subs: James Evans, Daniel Wheeler.

Goals: Tony Quinton 24, Phil Ruggles 66, Barry Stevens 72

Booked: Barry Stevens 37

Attendance: 245
Referee: Mr Ian Gosling (Ashford)
Assistants: Mr Graeme Ions (Maidstone) & Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)