Folkestone Invicta 0 Fisher Athletic 1

Sunday 19th February 2006

Folkestone Invicta went down 1-0 at home to second-placed Fisher Athletic at the Buzzlines Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the visitors won the game thanks to a solitary strike from Steve Watts just before half time, writes Richard Murrill.

But Neil Cugley’s side can count themselves unlucky not to have saved the day during the second half as they hit the both post and crossbar during over seven minutes of stoppage time, having already earlier hit the post.

There was a lot of quality on show from both sides in a game not helped by a heavy pitch and some bizarre decisions by referee Gary Johnson from Sittingbourne.

The only goal of the game came in the 44^th minute when Watts pounced to put the ball into the roof of the net after home goalkeeper Tony Kessell had saved but not held a Charlie Hearn free kick.

Invicta’s best moments came after the interval when Fisher goalkeeper James Pullen made a great save to touch a Mark Saunders volley onto the post after 61 minutes when Kevin Watson had sent over the Folkestone side’s first corner of the game from the right hand side.

Moments earlier Saunders’ shot had been deflected wide when Watson made a great run to open up the Fisher defence and play the ball to the former Gillingham midfielder.

And Saunders hit the post again after 90 minutes when his shot was kept out on the line via the leg and then by what looked suspiciously like the hand of big centre half Francis Duku.

The drama did not stop there as deep into stoppage time substitute Matt Carruthers’ deflected free kick struck the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area following a foul on striker Walid Matata. An almighty goalmouth scramble from the subsequent corner saw the ball roll agonisingly wide of Fisher’s far post as the ball just would not go in for Invicta.

Matata was then carried off deep into stoppage time.

Invicta went into the game with new signing Lee Shearer making his debut at centre half following his move to the club in exchange for the popular John Guest’s departure to Welling United.

James Everitt and Saunders both came back into the Invicta midfield, with Mark Corneille impressing on his home debut at right back and Carruthers starting on the substitutes’ bench following his move back to Invicta as part of the Guest deal.

This is a good Fisher side who are pushing Braintree for the Ryman Premier League championship. And the visitors made a positive start as Hamid Barr hit a free kick over the crossbar from a central position right on the edge of the Invicta box after eight minutes.

Left back Asheed Dean then blasted over at the far post two minutes later when Chris Piper sent the ball over from the right.

At the other end, Fisher goalkeeper Pullen came out to save on the half hour mark when Matata nodded the ball on for James Everitt.

Watts’ glancing header for Fisher three minutes later had Kessell scrambling to make a far post save when Hearn played the ball out to Damian Scannell on the right flank,

Matata hurried his shot at Pullen with Invicta’s best chance of the first half in the 38^th minute following a defensive slip.

And Watts’ goal put Invicta up against it going into the second half.

Defender Nick Davis didn’t get enough power on his header for Fisher after 57 minutes when Hearn played the ball in.

But it was Invicta and in particular Saunders who came closest to scoring during the final half hour or so.

Striker Chris Wright hit a good 20-yard shot at Pullen after 63 minutes, while Invicta goalkeeper Kessell touched Scannell’s shot from the edge of the penalty area round the post for a corner a minute later.

Folkestone Invicta: Kessell, Watson, Corneille, Flanagan, Shearer, Saunders, Chandler, J. Everitt (Fraser 75), Matata (Myall 90), Wright (Carruthers 75), Norman. Subs: Lamb, M. Everitt.

Fisher Athletic: Pullen, C. Piper (Clancy 73), Dean, Davis, Duku, Hearn, Riviere, Scannell (Wareham 69), Taylor, Watts (West 79), Barr. Subs: L. Piper, Packham.

Attendance: 427