Folkestone Invicta 1 Windsor & Eton 0

Sunday 05th February 2006

A 60^th minute penalty from Kevin Watson gave Folkestone Invicta victory in a dour game at home to lowly Windsor & Eton at a cold Buzzlines Stadium on Saturday afternoon, writes Richard Murrill.

24-year-old defender Watson scored his first goal since joining the club from Welling United last in October 2004 when he converted Invicta’s first spot kick in the league this season after striker Chris Wright had gone down under challenge from burly Windsor captain Jamie Jarvis.

One goal had also been enough to settle an equally poor game in Windsor’s favour when the sides met at Stag Meadow back in December. And whilst this was certainly no classic, Invicta will be pleased to have made it two consecutive wins and clean sheets in a week in home matches against clubs from the bottom three of the table, which have lifted the Folkestone side into 12th place in the Ryman Premier League.

The home side had gone into the match with Martin Chandler returning to the starting line up in place of James Everitt and Wright keeping his place in the starting line up in the absence of the injured Paul Jones (groin).

Much of the pre-match excitement had centred on the appearance of comic actor Ralf Little at left back for Windsor & Eton, but there was not much to warm up the 417 crowd in the 90 plus minutes that followed.

Both goalkeepers had very quiet afternoons as chances were few and far between.

Spencer Walsh fired wide from outside the box for Windsor after seven minutes and David Warner’s cross from the right was plucked out of the air by Invicta goalkeeper Tony Kessell after 28 minutes.

And Dave Tilbury’s header from Windsor’s first corner six minutes later was comfortably dealt with by Kessell.

The nearest Windsor came to a goal was in the 40^th minute when Jon Case’s shot across goal appeared to have been cleared off the line by defender Steve Norman, but referee Atkin from Crawley adjudged that the ball had in fact come off striker Warner and awarded a goal kick.

Windsor had penalty appeals turned down at the start of the second half when Warner appeared to be pulled back and the visitors’ spot kick claims were waved away again when the ball struck an Invicta arm after 54 minutes.

That the only goal of the game was to come from the penalty spot six minutes later will only have added to the Royalists’ frustration.

Invicta threatened again a minute after their goal when Jarvis cleared off the line from Wright following a great ball by Chandler from left to right.

Windsor’s Warner was the game’s only booking for a bad foul on Walid Matata after 31 minutes.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Kessell, Watson, Lamb, Chandler, Guest, M. Everitt, Saunders, Fraser (Neilson 76) , Matata, Wright (Playford 76), Norman. Subs: J. Everitt, Mann.

WINDSOR & ETON: Drake, Tilbury, Little (Peter Holsgrove 69), Kersey, Jarvis, Coyne, Walsh (Paul Holsgrove 73), Protain (Edgerley 79), Case, Warner, Wallace. Subs: L. Holsgrove, Dunlop.

Attendance: 417.