Striker Bremner listens to offers

Thursday 17th July 2008

FOLKESTONE INVICTA kicked off their pre-season campaign on Tuesday night, losing 4-0 at newly promoted neighbours Dover Athletic, giving manager Neil Cugley plenty of food for thought, writes Tom Marchant.

Craig Wilkins was left out as a precaution with a minor knee twinge whilst Nick Humphrey was with his wife as she gave birth to a baby girl.

An early injury to Jimmy Jackson (knock on the calf) in the friendly isn't believed to be serious with Cugley anticipating the midfielder soon to be back in action.

"I was disappointed but we gave the ball away far too easily and we've got to get the passing right otherwise better sides when you give the ball away will hurt you and that's what Dover done to us,” Cugley told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk after their opening defeat.

"It was a hard game and fitness wise that's what I wanted and the Faversham and Gillingham games will both be the same sort of thing where we try different things, check on players and then in the last four hopefully we'll get a bit more shape and pattern to the play.

“There's still a lot of things to work on over the next few weeks and what you want to see in friendlies is an improvement in games and in players."

In addition to midfielder Lee Spiller, who has been training with the club over the last fortnight, Tuesday night’s squad also included Byron Walker and Danny Smith.

Walker was signed by former Dover manager Clive Walker from Chatham Town and was released by Andy Hessenthaler at the end of last season.

"They've come down and trained and we'll have a look at them again over the next couple of games to see how they do, explained Cugley.

“I was told by someone Danny Smith would be worth a look at and a couple of the lads who'd been at Dover said Byron might be worth a look at.

"After these next two friendlies we've got to sit down and see what we've got so we go into those last four games with the players we'll start the season with."

The friendly with Tonbridge Angels which was scheduled for this weekend was postponed in the week due to additional work on the pitch at the Buzzlines Stadium.

The Invicta boss explained: "We had a bad area where we'd done some drainage work and after it had been rolled it sunk down and it wasn't something that could be rectified in five or six days.

“It has been re turfed now and it's not a problem but it needs time to settle down and obviously if we'd played Saturday it would just kick out but now it'll be ok for the game next Saturday.

"I know the right decision has been made and for the sake of a week it's not a problem and we've got plenty of friendlies.

“If we'd played well against Dover we might have just trained Thursday but we didn't so we'll have the players in on Saturday as well so we can work on things."

The League fixtures were officially released this week with Folkestone kicking off the season on Saturday 16th August with a visit to Worthing followed by home matches against Chipstead (Tuesday 19th) and Walton & Hersham (Saturday 23rd).

As expected, Ashford Town will be the post Christmas opponents with the match scheduled on the 27th December away at the Homelands.

And Cugley said: "It's a difficult game to start with and Worthing will be one of the sides I think who will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

“Playing them first you know where you are I think and it gives you a benchmark. It's amazing how quick that first one will come round and sometimes you can't wait for it to come round and sometimes when you play like last night you're glad it's not there yet!"

Speaking about striker Leigh Bremner who has yet to sign for a club next season Cugley said: "He's had two or three good offers from other clubs which financially we can't get anywhere close to.

“He's a good player who obviously we'd like to stay and he's been away but now he's back it's something that I hope to be sorted out over the next week or so.

"We're still talking to forward players and we also want to see how people do in these next couple of games.

“Craig Wilkins we've yet to see play up there and Keiron Byrne is someone I want to have a look at in a wide position next week so we're still looking at different things."

Article courtesy of www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk