Heybridge Swifts 2-0 Folkestone Invicta

Folkestone Invicta were still searching for their first win of the new season as they went down 2-0 away to Heybridge Swifts on Saturday afternoon, writes Richard Murrill.

Invicta have now lost 2-0 on three successive Ryman Premier League visits to Scraley Road and have lost all five league games they have played against the Essex club.

The home side opened the scoring with an early goal from Jamie Richards and added a penalty from Richard Jolly not long after half time to leave Invicta still searching for their first win of the season.

With right back James Everitt out injured, Invicta started the game with a 4-3-3 formation but ended up chasing the game by going all out attack at 4-2-4 with captain Adam Flanagan as emergency centre forward.

Heybridge took an early lead when Sam Keevill’s ball from the right found Jolly in the middle and when the assistant referee’s flag stayed down the striker unselfishly squared the ball across for Richards to tap the ball into the net from close range.

Invicta midfielder Stuart Myall was booked for kicking the ball away after 20 minutes and Jolly shot over from the edge of the penalty area two minutes later when Neil Cousins played the ball in from the left.

At the other end, Heybridge right back Russell Pond escaped with a yellow card when he tripped Matt Carruthers as the Invicta forward latched onto Micheal Everitt’s through ball and raced in on goal.

An Ian Cousins cross from the left just evaded Richards in the middle after 33 minutes and Invicta goalkeeper Tony Kessell pushed a Keevill shot from the edge of the area round the post for a corner when the Heybridge player did well to make space for himself.

Steve Norman shot was touched over for a corner by Heybridge goalkeeper Danny Gay when Myall touched an indirect free kick to the left back after Mark Saunders had received a boot in the face in a similarly dangerous position on the edge of the penalty area from where Norman had scored at Billericay in midweek.

Heybridge’s Keevill was left with blood pouring from a nasty head injury after a clash with Saunders towards the end of the first half and had to return with a bandage.

Invicta started the second half positively as a good 20-yard-strike from Saunders was touched over for a corner by Gay after 50 minutes and the Heybridge goalkeeper did well to get across to concede another corner from Norman’s piledriver following Mtyall’s ball in.

But Invicta were rocked when they conceded a penalty for the second successive Saturday as centre half Lee Shearer was adjudged to have pushed Richards and Jolly stepped up to increase the home side’s lead from the spot after 55 minutes.

The penalty decision appeared to be harsh, especially as Invicta had themselves just been denied a similar shout at the other end when Walid Matata went down in the box.

But Heybridge manager Brian Statham soon found himself in trouble with referee Blackledge when Richards went down under challenge from Flanagan after 58 minutes.

Carruthers picked his spot but shot straight at goalkeeper Gay from the edge of the penalty area when Matata did well down the right hand side after 63 minutes.

At the other end, the dangerous Jolly shot wide two minutes later when good footwork took him past centre halves Shearer and Flanagan.

Richards fired against the outside of the post after 69 minutes when striking partner Jolly played him in down the left hand side of the penalty area.

It was desperation time for Invicta as they pushed defender Flanagan up to bolster the attack as young Liam Friend replaced Myall for the final 20 minutes.

Goals change matches and scoring goals has become a problem for Invicta since the latter half of last season. To be fair, the visitors did create more chances in the closing stages but they are simply not scoring enough goals to win games.

Gay got down to keep out a Flanagan header after 73 minutes when Paul Jones played the ball in and the visitors then had penalty appeals turned down again when the ball struck substitute Sean Marks on the arm following a corner on the left.

Invicta striker Matata became the game’s third booking for a challenge on Marks with fifteen minutes remaining.

Flanagan got up to meet Norman’s ball in from the left after 86 minutes but could loop his header over goalkeeper Gay and Saunders headed just wide when substitute Joe Neilson played the ball in from the right a minute later.

Heybridge Swifts: Gay, Pond, I. Cousins, Shinn, Wiles (Barber 52), Nethercott, N. Cousins, Gillespie, Richards (Marks 72), Jolly, Keevill (Heath 67). Subs: Burrell, Gregory.

Folkestone Invicta: Kessell, Saunders, Norman, Flanagan, Shearer, Watson, M. Everitt, Myall (Friend 69), Jones (Neilson 77), Matata, Carruthers. Subs: Chandler, Sly, Stonebridge.

Attendance: 192.

Visit Folkestone Invicta's website:  www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk