Folkestone Invicta 3-2 Hastings United - We gave it everything, says play-off finalist Neil Cugley

FOLKESTONE INVICTA  3-2  HASTINGS UNITED
(after extra time)
Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Semi-Final
Tuesday 29^th April 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Cheriton Road

FOLKESTONE INVICTA manager Neil Cugley says his side gave it everything after maintaining his 100% home record in Ryman League Division One South play-offs.

Folkestone Invicta finished runners-up after finishing their 46 match campaign with 89 points in the bag after Leatherhead were deducted six points last Friday.

Leatherhead, who finished in third-place, three points behind Cugley’s side, will arrive at Cheriton Road on Saturday to contest the play-off final, after Richard Brady’s side defeated Guernsey 3-2 at Fetcham Grove.

Folkestone Invicta deservedly progressed through to the final, but Hastings United never gave up and a fluke goal deep into extra time sent the Kent side through.

Frankie Chappell came up from the back to head home his eleventh goal of the season to give Folkestone an early lead.

But Tim Olorunda swept home an equaliser for Hastings United early in the second half, before Dane Luchford placed his shot into the bottom corner to regain Invicta’s advantage.

Hastings United drilled home an equaliser with fifteen minutes remaining through Sam Adams’ twelve goal of the season, before Folkestone Invicta received a massive slice of luck with seven minutes of extra time remaining.

Josh Vincent’s ball forward from 35-yards took a wicked deflection off Hastings substitute Nathan Ferguson and looped over the keeper’s head and dropped into the net for a fortuitous own-goal to ensure Cugley maintained his unbeaten home record in play-off matches.

“I’ve been manager of Folkestone for a long time, it seems like every game is a bit like that,” said a delighted Cugley afterwards.

“It’s real end-to-end at the end. To be fair to both teams there was a lot of tired people out there who have just given everything and I’m a bit sorry for the lad with the mistake at the end that cost them. We’re lucky we got the win.

“Everybody gave everything, didn’t they? I couldn’t ask for much more.

“We had two teams that just rolled their sleeves up and gave it everything and that’s all you can ask.

“To be fair to their manager Terry (White) has come in (to our dressing room) and said well done to our lads and I would have said exactly the same to them.  It could have gone either way.”

Folkestone Invicta started the game in a dominant fashion and they should have been in a clear lead by the half-time interval.

Hull City bound striker, Johan Ter Horst, cut the ball back to Matt Newman, who curled his right-footed shot into Josh Pelling’s gloves from 25-yards.

But Folkestone Invicta drew first blood, by taking the lead inside the opening eight minutes.

Chris Elliott swung in a corner from the right which was cleared away and Newman picked up the loose ball on the left hand side and whipped in an excellent cross towards the far post where Chappell dived to plant his diving header past the Hastings keeper from six-yards.

“I was really chuffed with the first 20 minutes, half an hour,” said Cugley.

“I thought we looked the far better side by a long way. I thought we should have put it to bed first half an hour.  I was disappointed that we were only 1-0 up to be fair.”

Folkestone Invicta continued to press and Hastings United were hanging on inside the opening 20 minutes.

Elliott played a sublime 60-yard cross field pass from left-back to pick out Dane Luchford on the right wing, who cut inside but his low shot was comfortably saved by Pelling at the near post.

However, Ter Horst missed a gilt-edged chance to double Folkestone Invicta’s lead in the fourteenth minute.

Hastings left-back Sam Cruttwell gave the ball away to Luchford, who released Ter Horst through on goal, his pace taking him past two central defenders, but he blasted his right-footed shot over the bar from sixteen-yards.

“We had a lot (of chances) early on. We should have put the game to bed,” said Cugley.

“We should’ve been, I felt, two or three up and game finished on the first half hour.

“Johan’s gone through.  We just needed that second goal and I think we would’ve gone on and won it quite comfortably.”

Within two minutes, Luchford swung in Folkestone’s second corner of the game but this time Liam Friend’s towering header at the far post looped over the Hastings bar.

Folkestone Invicta striker Paul Booth was excellent during the first half and he gave the Hastings defence problems with his intelligent play.

However, despite their dominance, Folkestone Invicta failed to kill the game off and Hastings United started to claw themselves back into the contest.

Russell Eldridge played a short free-kick to former Hythe Town winger Taser Hassan, who sped past Elliott down the right before cutting the ball back for Eldridge to see his left-footed half-volley, which deflected just wide of the right-hand post in the 24^th minute.

Adams’ corner was cut back to Matt Darby, who laid the ball to Eldridge, whose left-footed drive from 25-yards flashed just past the same post.

Adams then cut the ball back to Tristan Toney, but the former Lewisham Borough striker, playing behind lone striker Frankie Sawyer, was never going to beat Tim Roberts with a right-footed angled drive which was comfortably saved at the near post.

Folkestone Invicta were to be denied a second goal in the 33^rd minute.

Booth’s danced his way through the Hastings defence before stroking a right-footed drive, which forced Pelling to dive low to his right to make a smart save.

But Hastings were not going to allow Folkestone Invicta have their own way.

Cruttwell raced forward into the Folkestone half of the field before playing the ball inside to Adams, who drilled a right-footed shot straight into Roberts’ body from 25-yards.

Whatever was said by Hastings United manager Terry White during the half-time interval had the desired effect as the Sussex side were level inside the opening four minutes of the second half.

Adams whipped in a low cross from the right towards the near post where Olorunda swept the ball into the back of the net, via a deflection.

“It was a good ball in to be fair and the lad done well to come round the back,” said Cugley.

“I thought we dropped our standards a bit, if I’m being honest. Whether we give them a bit of credit for upping it?

“You have to give them some credit, they’ve rolled their sleeves up and had a right go.

“I still don’t think we came out and played.  We didn’t play as well as we know we can.  I suppose a bit of nerves and apprehension or whatever comes into it all.

“I tried to take that away from the players because I want them to enjoy it.  Hopefully we’ll be a little bit more relaxed on Saturday, we can play football.”

This equaliser seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side, but Folkestone continued to create chances.

A sweeping attacking move involving Ter Horst, who played the ball inside to Booth, saw him release Luchford through on goal, but he lacked composure and drilled his right-footed shot into the large crowd behind the goal.

Luchford then swung in a free-kick towards the far post where Chappell sent his towering header over the crossbar.

Elliott then played the ball inside to Michael Yianni, who was given time and space to crack a right-footed drive towards goal from 35-yards, which forced Pelling to make a smart save low to his left.

But Folkestone Invicta’s pressure finally paid off, taking a deserved 68^th minute lead.

Ter Horst picked up the ball on the half-way line and sprinted past a couple of Hastings defenders to reach the penalty area before cutting the ball back for Luchford to place his first time right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner from 15-yards.

Cugley added: “I think at that time I was hoping we’d go on and get a third.”

Praising 27-goal striker Ter Horst’s contribution for the goal, Cugley said: “I think second half he came alive and caused them lots of problems and I think he was the difference between the two.”

But Hastings United were not going to exit the promotion race without a fight and they clawed themselves back into the game to the delight of their travelling fans, with another clinical finish.

Hassan, eager to impress playing against Hythe Town’s greatest rivals, crossed from the right, the ball came out to Adams, who was given time and space to drill his right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner from 25-yards.

Cugley wasn’t pleased with the defending from the club’s longest serving player.

He said: “Give them some credit for coming back. They’ve crossed the ball. Micheal Everitt hasn’t really cleared it like you want it to and it’s fell straight to them to make it two all.”

Booth rolled the ball out to Vincent, who curled a stunning drive towards goal, which brought a brilliant diving save out of Pelling, turning the goal-bound shot around the post with a strong right hand.

Cugley added: “To be fair, both goalies were good tonight.”

You could sense, however, that clinical Hastings United could hit Folkestone Invicta on the break, especially now that they had seventeen-goal striker Kenny Pogue on the pitch as substitute.

Hastings United had the last chance of normal time, but Adams steered his shot into Roberts’ gloves, following a long free-kick fell to him.

However, unlike the previous 90 minutes, extra-time proved to be a cagey-affair with both sides playing a cautious game and not wanting to make a costly mistake.

“They’re scared of making a mistake and no-one wants to do that,” explained Cugley.

“Earlier on in the game, you’ve got a long time to put it right but I just want us to play a little bit better than we did tonight, especially second half in extra-time.”

Folkestone Invicta’s vastly experienced defence did a magnificent job on Sawyer, but the striker went close to scoring the winner for Hastings at the end of the first period.

Hassan raced down the right and whipped in a deep cross towards the far post, which was knocked down by Ferguson for Sawyer to curl his right-footed shot around the far post.

Folkestone Invicta were hanging on at times during the second period and Olorunda headed a corner wide, before the Kent side received a huge slice of luck to win the game with seven minutes remaining.

Vincent hit a speculative shot towards goal from 35-yards, which took a wicked deflection off Ferguson and the ball looped high above Pelling’s head and dropped down into the goal to give Folkestone Invicta a deserved victory.

“It’s one of those things,” said Cugley.  “You deserve a bit of luck. I’m obviously pleased to see it go in. I’m delighted for the players, they worked so hard. 

“At the end everybody’s so tired, you just want the ball up the other end. As long as the balls up the other end you think you’re going to score, but on the other thing you always worry that they’re going to attack, but I thought Friendy and Frankie Chappell were superb. They defended well so when they broke they didn’t really look quite dangerous.”

Had it not been for that moment, the game seemed destined to head towards a penalty shoot-out – the method that Folkestone Invicta defeated Leatherhead in the play-off semi-final in 2010, before the club defeated Godalming Town in the home play-off final.

When asked whether his side have been practising penalties, Cugley admitted: “No, we’ve not seen the lads for, I don’t know how long!  We haven’t trained because we’ve had so many games. At this level it’s a bit of luck really.  We’ve just about had the five who were going to take them because Boothy came off as well.   Obviously he would’ve been one that would’ve taken one but we didn’t really worry about them.

“How can I put it politely? I thought it wouldn’t go to penalties. I don’t know why. I thought one team would score because it was so open by then.”

Folkestone Invicta created the game’s final chance in the last four minutes when Yianni put Ter Horst through on goal, but Pelling did well to smother the ball at the striker’s feet and the ball ricochet past the far post.

The final whistle brought joyous scenes from the Cheriton Road faithful and the club are now one win away from a return to the Ryman Premier League for the first time since finishing bottom of that division in April 2011.

“It gives us an advantage. We want to be at home. We had a great crowd today, they were brilliant. We just want them to come along Saturday and get behind us,” said Cugley, who deserves another crack at a higher level of football.

“We’ve beat Leatherhead here before.  We didn’t play very well up at Leatherhead and lost 1-0 so I’m pleased that we’ve got Leatherhead.  I think we owe them one for the performance we did up there.

Saturday’s game will be Ter Horst’s last game for the club and Cugley wants the diminutive striker to clinch promotion.

“It would be nice if Johan can go out on a high on Saturday and score the winner or something like that,” said Cugley.

“You say where we were in September-October, we were third-from-bottom and now we’re in the play-off final, so it’s a tremendous achievement from my players.”

And on the prospect of staging Ryman Premier League football at Cheriton Road in August 2014, Cugley said: “Let’s worry about that if that comes about! That will give me some sleepless nights in the summer.

“I just love big games. As a manager you want big games. That’s a big game. Tonight was a big game and that will be a big game Saturday, so that’s what you’re in it for.”

Cugley hopes home advantage will play a key role against Leatherhead on Saturday.

“I’ve been really lucky because I’ve lost two (play-offs) and they’ve both been away from home.  I’ve got to say that I’ve never lost at home in the play-offs so hopefully that continues.

“When we’ve lost, we’ve lost at Dulwich and Maidstone, so hopefully we’ll get another win on Saturday.

“I’m sure everybody will give everything to the last kick of the game on Saturday.”

Folkestone Invicta: Tim Roberts, Josh Vincent, Chris Elliott, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Matt Newman, Michael Yianni, Dane Luchford (James Everitt 89), Johan Ter Horst, Paul Booth (Phil Stevenson 99), Micheal Everitt (Roland Edge 111).
Subs: Connor Coyne, Simon Austin

Goals: Frankie Chappell 8, Dane Luchford 68, Nathan Ferguson 113 (own goal)

Booked: Josh Vincent 32, Micheal Everitt 45, Liam Friend 88, Michael Yianni 90

Hastings United: Josh Pelling, Matt Darby, Sam Cruttwell (Tom O’Connor 104), Tim Olorunda, Ben Judge, Tristan Toney (Nathan Ferguson 99), Taser Hassan, Charlie Bachellier (Kenny Pogue 73), Frankie Sawyer, Sam Adams, Russell Eldridge.
Subs: Josh Oyinsan, Greg Nessling

Goals: Tim Olorunda 49, Sam Adams 75

Booked: Tim Olorunda 41, Charlie Bachellier 71, Kenny Pogue 88, Tom O’Connor 115

Attendance: 951
Referee: Mr Jason Richardson (Northwood, Middlesex)
Assistants: Mr Andrew Hickman (Northolt, Middlesex) & Mr Daniel Simpson (West Drayton, Middlesex)
Fourth Official: Mr Graeme Ions (Tonbridge)