Folkestone Invicta 1-1 Eastbourne Borough

Honours were even at a sunny Buzzlines Stadium as substitute Scott Ramsay’s 70^th minute equaliser cancelled out Ellis Remy’s 48^th minute opener for Invicta in Saturday’s pre-season friendly, writes Richard Murrill.

Much of the pre-match talk had been about the return to his old stomping ground of Eastbourne striker Allan Tait, but the former Invicta goalscorer had to watch the game from the terraces due to injury.

That left the stage free for the two clubs’ leading marksmen from last season to provide the goals.

Remy opened the scoring just after half time when he finished well to lob goalkeeper Lee Hook after a great ball from striking partner Damian Abel had put him in behind the visitors’ defence.

But Ramsay had looked threatening after coming on as a second half substitute and it was the former Brighton and Dover Athletic forward who equalised when he slotted the ball home after latching onto a Roy Guiver back pass.

The Blue Square (formerly Conference) South side had the game’s first couple of chances, both falling to Matt Crabb who first headed at goalkeeper Charlie Mitten after Nathan Crabb’s cross from the right in the tenth minute and then shot over from the edge of the penalty area two minutes later.

At the other end, Bulgarian midfielder Iliyan Pamukov sent Remy racing away in the 13^th minute, but goalkeeper Hook came out to save on the left hand side of the penalty area.

Eastbourne striker Sham Fenlon then let fly in the 15^th minute when the ball came over the Invicta defence but Mitten got down to smother his shot.

Mitten was the busier of the two goalkeepers during the first half as he kept out a good 18^th minute strike from Nathan Crabb and Darren Baxter’s shot deflected into Mitten’s hands two minutes later.

But the best chance of the first half fell to Invicta after 28 minutes when Abel shot past goalkeeper Hook from the edge of the penalty area but just wide of the post when a great ball from captain Liam Friend put him clean through.

Nathan Crabb was close again for the visitors from almost right on the line when Marc Pullan did well to get up at the far post after 33 minutes following a dangerous ball in from the left.

Friend then let fly from 25 yards ten minutes later but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Invica were to break the deadlock soon after the interval when Abel combined with Remy and the goalscorer brought goalkeeper Hook into action again after 50 minutes with a downward header from Kevin Watson’s ball in. but assistant referee Martin Staveley’s flag was up anyway.

Striker Ramsay sent a dangerous ball into the Invicta box after 51 minutes and Fenlon blasted over when teenage goalkeeper Luke Stonebridge lost a Ramsay cross from the right three minutes later.

Remy took on the visitors’ defence after 66 minutes but Hook was able to avert the danger following a great ball from Pamukov.

But Ramsay brought Eastbourne level and Invicta then had substitute Stonebridge to thank for two great saves in as many minutes.

The 17-year-old goalkeeper first got across to touch a shot from captain Paul Armstrong over the crossbar for a corner and then did very well again to keep out a close range Ramsay header following a cross from the right.

The versatile James Everitt partnered Abel in the Invicta attack when Martin Chandler replaced Remy for the final quarter of an hour, but there were to be no further goals.

Folkestone Invicta: Mitten (Stonebridge 45), Watson (Chappell 65), Glyde, Piper, Friend, Okikiolu (Guiver 45), M. Everitt, Pamukov, Remy (Chandler 74), Abel, Corbett (J. Everitt 19).

Eastbourne Borough: Hook, Ballard, Jenkins, Kazemi, Baxter, Pullan, Harding, Armstrong, Ramsay, Atkin, M. Crabb, Strevett, N. Crabb, Atwood, Keane, Fenlon, Laudon.