Folkestone Invicta 1 Hampton & Richmond Borough 2

Folkestone Invicta’s run of bad luck against Hampton & Richmond Borough continued on Saturday when Neil Cugley’s side went down 2-1 at the Buzzlines Stadium despite opening the scoring through new player-coach Mark Saunders, writes Richard Murrill.

Former Gillingham star Saunders scored on his home debut when he powerfully headed home in the 33^rd minute when Kevin Watson sent over the game’s first corner from the right hand side.

But the visitors were level after 38 minutes through Ade Olayinka, a new signing from St Albans, who equalised at the far post when a throw in from the right flicked off an Invicta head.

And Alan Devonshire’s side won the game with a 56^th minute striker from captain Dean Wells who picked his spot and shot across goal into the left hand corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Invicta had thought that they had scored after seven minutes when Hampton debutant Olayinka did well to get back and clear when Invicta’s own debutant James Fraser lobbed over goalkeeper Matt Lovett when James Eveirtt played the ball through.

The ball looked suspiciously over the line and Olayinka himself ended up tangled in the back of the net, but Fraser was denied a dream start to his Invicta career.

Shades of a FA Cup tie at Canvey Island a few years ago and another goal that got away for the Folkestone side.

Fraser, brought to the club by recent signing Walid Matata, looked lively on his debut and his performance was a plus for Invicta on the day.

Tottenham based Fraser had come into the starting line up along with fellow full debutant Chris Wright and the fit again Micheal Everitt in place of Stuart Myall and Matata (both on the substitutes’ bench) and John Guest.

Guest’s personal curse in games against Hampton & Richmond struck again as he was a late withdrawal due to a family emergency. The influential centre half had been controversially sent off in both the last two meetings between the clubs.

Hampton themselves had to make changes as new signings Olayinka and Aaron Barnett came in for big centre half Rob Paris and leading goalscorer Lawrence Yaku.

Ben Abbey was wide of the target for the visitors with a diving header after 21 minutes from Graham Harper’s right wing cross when Kelvin McIntosh played the ball out wide.

At the other end, a Paul Jones shot was plucked out of the air by goalkeeper Lovett following a great ball from Saunders.

James Everitt then fired over on the half hour mark when Fraser broke down the right flank and Saunders’ opening goal followed two minutes later.

Invicta threatened again after 35 minutes but the heavily sanded pitch enabled Barnett to stop Jones when Fraser and Wright worked the ball across from the right.

But Hampton’s goals either side of half time were to give the visitors a fourth successive Ryman Premier League win over Invicta and take them into third place in the table.

Watson tested Lovett with a 25-yard free kick after 47 minutes and James Everitt had a couple of bites at the cherry three minutes later when elder brother Micheal played him through down the left hand side of the box.

Invicta had the majority of the chances as a Steve Norman free kick right on the edge of the penalty area was deflected for a corner after 70 minutes.

And Wells cleared off the line from Paul Lamb after 81 minutes when Jones and Micheal Everitt worked the ball across from the left hand side of the box.

Both Hampton goalscorers had thus cleared off the line at the other end and Fraser fired over when James Everitt put him through in the 84^th minute after Matata had won the ball in midfield.

Invicta kept going until the end as Saunders hooked the ball wide after 90 minutes when captain Adam Flanagan headed on substitute Myall’s throw from the right.

Myall was absent from the Invicta starting line up for the first time this season, so ending the side’s last ever present record.

Attendance: 405