Invicta stars sign on the dotted line

Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley is thrilled with the way contract negotiations are going with his squad, reports Andy Bown and Tom Marchant - www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk

Many of the players have already committed themselves to Invicta for next season. Cugley however was reluctant to provide a classified list of exactly who has signed and for how long at this stage, as talks are still ongoing with some of his players.

Cugley did divulge the names of some of his squad who have signed one year deals; Tony Kessell, John Guest, Adam Flanagan, Steve Norman, Kevin Watson, Micheal Everitt, James Everitt and Joe Neilson. The Folkestone boss is confident that those who have yet to put pen to paper will do so in the near future.

Striker Paul Jones is already contracted to Invicta next season as he signed a two year deal in the summer when he was brought in from Ryman League Division One side Ashford Town.

Cugley commented about forward Walid Matata who was part of a deal that saw striker James Dryden move to Dover Athletic last December, remarking, “Walid signed a contract with us when he joined the club in December, which is until the end of next season so he is definitely part of our plans for the long term and will not be leaving this summer”.

Midfielder Mark Saunders signed an eighteen month contract when he signed for Invicta in early January, so he too is already part of Cugley’s squad for next season.

Cugley, who side entertain Fisher Athletic at the Buzzlines Stadium, Cheriton Road on Saturday, is very happy that a lot of his squad have signed contracts, and he mentioned that it allows him to work with the players now and in the summer.

This means he doesn’t have to wait until the summer to see what players he has at his disposal, and the team can start the process of gelling much sooner.

The Invicta manager has stated that the total wage budget for next season has not been tied up yet, and that he is looking to strengthen the squad at the end of the season.

“I will have to see the players I have at the end of the season, but there are areas we have to improve if we want to be challenging for the play offs next season. This will obviously be a lot clearer at the end of the season when we can see what players are available”.

He added: “The contracts are basically an agreement between the club and the players to say they won’t leave unless another club puts in a bid for them. It gives me security to know who I’ve got next season, but it works both ways with players I want to bring in as I can see if they are contracted or otherwise”.